Still Life Photography

Learn the craft of still-life photography

Is still-life photography one of the least exciting areas of photography? This is up to each individual and each individual’s own personal interest, but still-life photography demands a great deal of care and imagination. The rewards for a good still-life photographer can be enormous.

A large percentage of the advertisement market uses still life photography images. A large portion of still-life images fall under the fine art photography class and could make a great extra source of income for an established photographer.

There are many ways to approach still-life photography - the best and most used by professional photographers is to spend days in a studio, arranging and rearranging the set up until they get it perfect. This is what it takes to create perfect still-life portraits. With practice and a great deal of patience you will find your own unique way.

Most objects can form part of a still-life portrait. Objects from around the house or in the garden will make excellent still-life subjects.

Still-life photography is a simple discipline of photography for beginners. The equipment you need is very basic and you can start off photographing a bowl of fruit or a flower. Most professional still-life photographers use a medium or large format camera, but you can get great still-life pictures using your 35mm camera.

A small studio can be assembled in a corner of a garage or bedroom, or on a fine calm day can be constructed outdoors. Some of the best still-life arrangements are quite simple to set up. The main rule to follow is to keep it simple. Placing too many objects in front of the camera will cluster the setting.

If you are interested in still-life photography try the following.
Set up your studio beside a window. First pick a simple background - a plain drape or lace makes a perfect background. Using a vase or bowl as the main subject can make for an attractive still-life image. Take some shots using the natural light from the window.

Take more pictures using low light - this can be morning or evening - place a reflector at the other side of the vase to soften the image and get rid of any harsh shadows.

Now compare the two sets of images. The difference between both images will be immense but tests like this will lead to creating a better eye and mastering the true art of still-life photography. The effort seems extreme but still-life photography requires a great deal of patience and practice. Trial and error will play an important part in developing a new skill.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer. For more tips you can visit his photography directory. To view his images visit his on-line gallery of flower pictures or see his travel site.

Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot A20 Series | Drivers | Manuals | Download

Digital Camera: Canon PowerShot A20 Series Drivers Manuals Download

• Drivers / Software

• Manuals

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Canon PowerShot A10 Drivers Manuals

• Drivers / Software

• Manuals

Photography: How to Avoid Red-Eye in Flash Photos

Photography: How to Avoid Red-Eye in Flash Photos

What is red-eye, and why does it happen?
We’ve all seen it in snapshots we’ve either taken ourselves, or been shown by others: the pupils of your subject’s eyes are lit up in a devilish bright red color, unlike anything we’re used to seeing in real life. And of course, you never saw it in your camera’s viewfinder when you took the picture.

What is happening is that the pupil of a person’s eye, even though it appears to be black when we view it, is actually clear. Since the inside of the eyeball is normally never illuminated, we see it as a small black circle. But in some flash photos, if the flash is close to the lens of the camera, its illumination sends a burst of light right through to the rear of the inside of the subject’s eyeball. The retina of your subject’s eyes is rich in red blood vessels, and this produces the bright red color we see in the pictures.

If the flash is close enough to the lens, the light not only enters your subject’s inner eye, but can then reflect straight back out and actually be recorded by the camera. With the retina in your subject’s eye now fully illuminated, you get the tell-tale bright red glow that we all now know as "red-eye." So the first thing to know is that for all intents and purposes, red-eye in photos is a flash phenomenon. It’s very unlikely you’ll encounter it using sunlight, or available light only when shooting indoors.

Using the built-in flash:
Cameras like the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and XTi have a built-in flash, that pops upwards an inch or two for easy and convenient flash photography – at least, as long as your subjects are not too far away. And nearly every compact

digital camera
has a built-in flash as well. Since many of these cameras are so small in size, the designers are often forced to put the built-in flash nearly right next to the lens. Any time you use a built-in flash that’s close to the lens, you run the risk of occasionally getting red-eye in any pictures with people in the scene.

Obviously, you can’t physically move the built-in flash away from the camera lens. So manufacturers have resorted to another feature: Red-Eye Reduction.

Red-eye Reduction:
The idea of this feature is that by one means or another, the camera sends out light to your subject before the picture is taken. Since the subject’s pupils normally tend to dilate, or get wider, in dim light (and get smaller in bright light conditions), the idea is to reduce the level of red-eye by making the user’s pupils appear smaller before the picture is taken. With smaller pupils, there’s less area to be marred by red-eye, and even if it does show up in your pictures, it’ll tend to be less noticeable.

Some cameras do this by rapidly flashing the flash unit with "pulses" of flash illumination, for a second or two before the picture is taken. The hope is that your subject’s eyes will react to these rapid pops of light and the pupils will become smaller. A moment later, that actual picture is taken, with the flash firing again, but at (usually) greater power.

Canon’s cameras take a different approach, using a small, built-in lamp to shine continous white light directly at your subject for about two seconds, prior to the picture being taken. In fact, a scale appears on EOS digital SLRs with this feature in the viewfinder, to count down the two seconds that this red-eye reduction lamp is active, so that you know when to fully press the shutter button and take the picture. Again, the idea is that this added light before the picture is taken will cause the subject’s pupils to contract, and therefore reduce the level of red-eye if it appears.

It’s important to understand that neither of these approaches to in-camera red-eye control ever claim to completely eliminate the chance of getting visible red-eye. As the feature’s name says, it’s red-eye reduction, not red-eye elimination.

Using accessory speedlites:
Since an accessory flash unit (like Canon’s Speedlite 430EX, or 580EX) is larger and sits on top of the camera, the flash unit itself is raised several inches above the lens. The flash-emitting part of these units is nowhere near as close to the lens as in the case of a built-in flash. This distance between lens and flash means that right from the start, you’re less likely to get red-eye in your pictures. Let’s be clear: we’re not saying you won’t or can’t get red-eye in pictures taken with an accessory flash unit, only that because it starts out being a few inches farther from the lens, you can often avoid the probem in your shots of people.

Distance plays a key role in red-eye:
It’s a fact that the farther you are from a subject, the more likely you are to get red-eye in your flash pictures of people. The farther away you are from a subject, the more the flash illumination tends to be parallel to a straight line entering your camera lens. If flash illumination can go straight into your subject’s pupils, and then reflect straight back out again, you’ll see it as red-eye in your pictures. But if instead it’s at a slight angle relative to the "axis" that the lens is seeing, you’ll usually avoid that direct kick-back of light into the camera, and the subject’s pupils will usually appear the normal black color.

So to avoid red-eye, try to do the following:
1. Where possible, try to step physically closer to your subjects. This doesn’t mean be only inches away, but if you have a choice of taking that birthday party shot from 15 feet away, with your zoom lens at a telephoto setting, or stepping to about 6 feet away with the lens at a wider-angle setting, you’re much less likely to get red-eye from the 6 foot distance.
2. Try to resist using telephoto zoom settings in flash pictures of people. It’s not that telephoto lenses have anything to do directly with red-eye – they don’t – but any tele lens encourages you to stand back at a greater distance from your subject(s). It’s this added distance that increases the chances of red-eye.

Other techniques to avoid red-eye:
1. Bounce flash
If you’re using an accessory speedlite with bounce capability, and if you’re shooting indoors in a room with relatively low, light-colored ceilings, you can tilt your flash head upward so it shines at the ceiling, and then “bounces” back down to your actual subject(s). If done properly, this will totally eliminate any possibility of red-eye appearing in your flash pictures. The reason is that the flash illumination actually striking your subject is now coming downward, from the ceiling.

Remember that your ceiling must be white or near-white (if it’s colored, the returning light hitting your subject will take on that color – it’s no fun to eliminate red-eye, only to have an entirely red subject from that red-painted ceiling). And the other thing is that you need a standard ceiling height – somewhere around 8 to 12 feet. Bounce flash obviously won’t work in the open outdoors, and you can’t expect it to work in a large ballroom, or in a high-school gym. Finally, you’ll need to experiment and practice somewhat to get the hang of how far upward to tilt your flash head, depending upon how far away you are from your subjects (unlike direct flash, with bounce, you’re actually better off taking a step or two away from your subject, to get your light coming down at an angle instead of from directly above).

2. Use a third-party flash bracket
You’ve no doubt seen this one at every wedding you’ve been to: the pro photographer who’s shooting the wedding has his or her flash mounted on a contraption that holds it way, way above the camera. It looks totally awkward, but the pro using it has a point: by moving the flash well above the lens and its optical axis, he or she has much less concern that red-eye will appear in their flash photos. These brackets come in styles that “rotate” or “flip”, as well as completely rigid types. The rotating brackets let you position the flash head above the lens, regardless of whether you’re shooting horizontal or vertical pictures. With the rigid types, your flash may be positioned way off to one side if you turn the camera to take a vertical picture.

Canon doesn’t market these brackets, but many third-party companies do, in a wide variety of styles, degrees of ruggedness, and price points. Well-stocked camera stores usually have them on-hand. And to retain your E-TTL flash, use Canon’s Off Camera Shoe Cord 2, with one end attached to your camera’s hot shoe, and the other attached to your bracket’s flash shoe. Now, the flash will be as automatic as if it was directly on top of the camera.

3. Take the flash off the camera
Using either the Off Camera Shoe Cord 2, or Canon’s wireless E-TTL flash system, remove your flash entirely from the camera and position it elsewhere. By moving it off-camera, you virtually eliminate any possibility of red-eye. Using either the Speedlite 430EX, or the 580EX in their “slave” mode, and triggering them with an optional Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, it’s easy to get fully automatic flash exposure, with the flash up to 20 feet or more away from the camera. The ST-E2, combined with one of these speedlites, is a great combination for effective bounce flash shooting as well, whether you’re holding a single flash off-camera in one hand, or using multiple flash units to evenly light a room or area.

4. Use available light, and don’t shoot with flash
In some conditions indoors, or at night, you can get beautiful, natural-looking pictures by simply turning off your flash, setting a higher ISO, and using natural light to take pictures. Try this along with flash pictures in different scenes, and you’ll develop a sense of when to revert to this technique. It certainly eliminates any chance of seeing red-eye.

Source: Canon

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Video Tutorial: Digital Camera Nikon COOLPIX S51/S51c

To help familiarize yourself with the Nikon COOLPIX S51 or S51c digital camera, here’s a short video which offers descriptions of a few of these camera’s coolest features, tips for taking great pictures and an explanation of how to use the incredibly cool wireless feature of the S51c camera. Topics in the video include:

• Taking steady shots

• Ensuring the subject is in focus

• Capture bright images

• Utilizing the movie mode

To download the video, please click one of the following links:

• Full Resolution (250 MB)

• Web-Ready (11 MB)

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Tutorial: Digital Camera Nikon COOLPIX S700 Video Tutorial

To help familiarize yourself with the Nikon COOLPIX S700 digital camera, here’s a short video which offers descriptions of a few of the camera’s coolest features, as well as tips for taking great pictures. Topics in the video include:

• Taking steady shots

• Ensuring the subject is in focus

• Capture bright images

• Utilizing the movie mode

To download the video, please click one of the following links:

• Full Resolution (146 MB)

• Web-Ready (7 MB)

The Digital Camera USB Cable- How Your Camera And Computer Talk

The Digital Camera USB Cable- How Your Camera And Computer Talk
By : David Faulkner

Perhaps you’ve been a photographer for as long as you can remember, and been messing around in the darkroom almost as long as that. You know how to turn your photos into the sort of prints that you friends want gracing their walls.

But even you could not turn your back on the digital camera revolution. You have always had a bit of a moral dilemma because you know that your dark room chemicals are not the kinds of substances you want in the water supply, and you also know that, in spite of the snob appeal of the 35mm camera, your digital camera just as capable and much more fun. And you’ve learned the magic of digital camera photograph editing software, which lets you duplicate all the darkroom effects you took years to master, in less than an afternoon.

Or perhaps you have not made the leap from 35mm film to digital, and think it all sounds just a little too good to be true. But if someone can persuade you that going digital with your photography is within your non-PC literate capabilities, you’ll give it a try.

The secret to digital photography magic is that you can alter your photos in almost any imaginable fashion once you have them saved on your PC hard drive. Your digital camera will come equipped with a digital camera USB cable which allows you to do just that. If it doesn’t, you can pick one up for less than $5.

How The USB Cable Works
The digital camera USB cable establishes a communications channel between your camera and your PC. When you take photos with your digital camera, instead of being stored on film they are stored in digital form on a memory card, and eventually the memory card will be full. If you want to keep taking pictures you’ll have to get the existing photos off the memory card, and you do it by uploading the photos to you PC.

By putting your photos on your PC you’ll also be able to view them in normal size rather than as the tiny images on your camera’s LCD screen. And once they’re on you PC, you can even print them; your printer will become your surrogate darkroom. You can also use software to turn your favorite photos into a continually running slideshow or make your absolutely favorite photo into wallpaper. But none of it happens without the digital camera USB cable.

Your camera will have included a CD with photo transferring software; all you need do is slide it into your D drive and insert your digital camera USB cable into the USB port at the on your monitor. It should be clearly marked, but if you can’t find it, consult you PC manual. And don’t be surprised, if you have a lot of photos stored on your camera, if you have to recharge your batteries when the upload is finished.

Alternatives To The Digital Camera USB Cable
The battery depletion issue is one which has earned the attention of digital camera makers, and they are working on solutions, including supplying a power cord which will run from your camera to a wall socket. There is also a memory card reading device,; it is installed in the digital camera, copies you photos, and the removed and plugged into your PC’s USB port. The memory reader eliminates the need for a digital camera USB cable completely, and is almost certain to make it obsolete in the not-too-distant future.You can also find more info on Digital Camera Online and Digital Camera Photos. Topdigitalcamerareviews.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Digital Cameras.

The Digital Camera USB Cable- How Your Camera And Computer Talk
By : David Faulkner

Digital Camera

The Digital Camera: The New Age Of Photography
by : ROBERTO SEDYCIAS

That digital cameras have brought about a sea change in the world of photography is undeniable. How one captures, prints and stores photo prints has been revolutionized. We no longer need to have loads of patience to wait for the photographer to slowly develop, print and deliver the photos in his sweet time. A tiny bit of carelessness and you would stand to lose the entire film roll.

Barely a decade ago, we would have to buy and develop a roll of film in order to snap a few photos. The number of pictures one could click was limited by the length of the film and if you wanted to do some serious photography you would need to carry a sack load of films and batteries.

You may also consider a digital camera to be a computer accessory since you can easily download photos from your camera to your PC and then take their printouts as and when you need. You may also send these photos to people as emails.

Finding the right digital camera is tough. You have to study them thoroughly. You must be sure of what you require, what you need to use to get that and what is being sold in the market. You must possess a thorough knowledge of various accessories of the it like lenses, tripods, filters and external flashes if you wish to operate like a true professional.

Digital cameras are capable of capturing sound bytes and video photography besides taking stills. For this reason, the shops stock numerous kinds of digital cameras, for example, there are video cameras or modular digital cameras that are meant for professionals. There are also certain varieties that are multifunctional.

Numerous kinds of digital cameras are found in shops and every one of them is different from the rest. The inbuilt features of the cameras decide the price tags so it will not be tough to take your pick if you are limited by your budget. However, if your pocket is not a constraint then you need to be more selective of what you buy.

Incase you purchase a camera with advanced features that you wont require, you are being wasteful, just as is the case if you buy one that doesn`t have all the attributes that you need. Whatever the case, the resolution of the camera is of cardinal importance because if it doesn`t match your requirements then it would be a total waste in terms of processing power, space for storage as well as money. Earlier on, only a resolution of 1 mega pixel was available but now resolutions up to 10 mega pixels are available and this renders excellent picture quality.

It is a folly to think that the higher the picture resolution, the better are the chances of good photo quality. If your objective is to take snaps for use on the computer, such as for web posting, or emailing, a lower resolution picture will serve the purpose quite well, as will, a low capacity memory card. All the functions of a digital camera can be executed just as well with less memory.

Software like Corel paint and Photoshop help you to bring about any number of changes in the photos you click. You could alter or modify the backdrop or make loads of other needed changes.

Digital camera could require either A size batteries or rechargeable varieties. It could be connected to your computer through bluetooth, USB or firewire ports.

The world is fast waking up to the various uses of the digital camera and the days of developing negatives are in fact becoming history. The instant gratification of seeing before your eyes the snap you clicked the previous moment, and the unmatched convenience of being able to edit the faults, make it an unrivalled choice of the next generation of photographers.

The Digital Camera: The New Age Of Photography
by : ROBERTO SEDYCIAS