Photoscout

• Techniques to Get Topnotch Black and White Digital Photography

  Black and white images have been considered by many people as a thing of the past since the arrival of color photography. But for those people who see photography an art, of black and white photography is a thing of the present. Now, using your digital camera, you can easily give black and white photography a try.

  Choosing black and white

  Many believe that removing color from a photo can make it lifeless. On the contrary, black and white photos are full of drama. In fact, removing color can add something to the photo. It reveals details that you would not have noticed in color. Sometimes, color obscures the form and texture of your subjects. What is good about black and white photography is that you can can highlight the structure of an object or a scene using even the simplest digital camera.

  Lighting

  What kind of lighting conditions should you look out for? In landscape photography, look for “active skies” - the worst conditions are often featureless gray overcast skies or clear blue cloudless skies as they become dull in black and white prints. But sometimes even apparently featureless gray skies can have intricate texture, which you can bring out in black and white prints. When you think of black and white digital images, the absence of light is as important as the highlights.

  Look for lighting conditions that will give you good deep shadows, which can give a solidity and depth to an image or a scene. Shadows are one of the most important features of your composition. Go out at night and you will see deep shadows and light sources. In addition, if you have the sun behind you when you take a photo, you will find it difficult to bring out the higher contrast people often look for in black and white digital photography.

  Composition

  You have all the basic rules in photography to look at and use as necessary. If you want to emphasize the object or the scene’s geometric structure, look for lines lines that guide the eyes into the picture, or curves suggesting a “flow” or movement. And you must not forget the basic rule of thirds. You can get an idea for your composition by checking out other’s work and go for the images that are instantly appealing. If you have to think hard about a photo to like it, then it is probably not a good photo. Composition in black and white digital photography is not primarily an intellectual exercise.

  Conversion to black and white

  You can create black and white digital pictures by setting your digital camera to black and white mode and shoot a photo. Another way, which is better, is taking color photos and then converting them to black and white with the help of photo editing software. The second way is suggested because with a color photograph, you can undo your black and white conversion if needed. Or if you want, you can leave the photo as is. In addition, you get better results as your digital camera’s black and white picture only has 256 shades of gray. On the other hand, a colored photo has more than 16 million colors, which will result in a great photo once converted into black and white. Lastly, it gives you more control.

  Photo editing software

  Most digital cameras have their own photo editing software CD. Here are some of the most popular software titles: Photoshop CS3 (Win, Mac), Photoshop Lightroom (Win, Mac), Photoshop Elements (Windows), GIMP (Win, Mac, Unix), and Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 (Windows). Nearly all editing software come with contrast/brightness adjustment and grayscale conversion. But using only these two features will not give you the best photos. You should choose editing software that have the following features: levels adjustment, grayscale conversion, channel mixer, desaturation, curves adjustment, and hue adjustment.

  Posted in Black and White Photography

  September 15th, 2008 / No Comments

• Things to Consider when Buying Extras for your Digital Camera

  Usually, when you buy something, you are going to have to purchase additional items. If you buy a laptop, you will need a stylish but functional bag to carry it. If you buy a bicycle, you will have to buy a lock and a helmet. If you purchase a cell phone, you will probably pay for the case or memory card. The same thing goes for digital cameras. If you want to have it all and complete the set, there are many additional items you can purchase for your camera: reflectors, tripods, additional lenses, special lenses, etc. But aside from these, there are those basic necessities that you will always have to buy.

  Batteries

  Some digital cameras will only require special batteries manufactured by the same company that manufactured the camera, whereas other cameras will take AA’s. So what should you consider when buying batteries for your camera? First, you have to remember that buying cheap disposable batteries is not a good idea. Your digital camera will quickly suck them dry, probably much faster than a hungry vampire sucking blood. Rechargeable batteries are definitely recommended. Although they have a higher initial cost compared to AA’s, they are cheaper in the long term. Many people use rechargeable nickel metal hydrate (NiMH) batteries, finding them as the best solution. You will also have to purchase a battery charger when you buy rechargeable batteries.

  Camera bag

  You have to protect your digital camera. Looking for the perfect bag for your device should top your list of must-haves. Look for a water-resistant camera case and one with splash-guard zippers. Look also for one that is padded on the inside to avoid the scratching of camera lens. Consider camera bags with an adjustable strap and easily accessible mesh pockets perfect for water bottles and other things. If you are into wild settings, you may want to buy a camera bag built to safeguard your cherished cargo from nasty weather and other elements. In addition to being water-resistant, other bags also sport a rain cover. Other bags strap at both the waist and sternum for a more even distribution of weight when you are hiking the trails.

  Memory cards

  In almost all cases, digital cameras are sold together with a very small amount of built-in memory space. If you are lucky, you can have an external memory card good to hold 5-20 high resolution photos along with the digital camera. Buying a good memory card is important if you do not want to run out of space for those great shots. In digital photography, you can choose from a wide variety of memory cards.

  Most memory cards are based on “flash memory”, a kind of electronically-erasable and programmable read-only memory. It is a solid-state memory device. One of the major virtues of read-only memory that flash memory memory possesses is durability, non-volatility, and tolerance for high temperature and shock. One downside, however, is that it has a limited write-erase cycles. This problem can be addressed by wear management techniques.

  Posted in Digital Photography

  September 9th, 2008 / No Comments

• 4 Digital Photography Tips

  Many people believe that digital cameras do all the work in shooting digital photos. After all, you only have to push the button and amazing photos magically appear right before your eyes. This is not true, of course. You can make beautiful images using a simple camera or lousy photos using the most expensive digicam available in the market. The point is that fantastic shots are not due to the type of camera alone; the photographer is the one that makes the stunning images. With a willingness and a little knowledge, you can make great photography using even the simplest digicam. Here are four tips that will help you shoot photos like a pro.

  1. Know your digicam

  All too often when people buy a digicam, they excitedly rip off the box and then proceed to tinker with the gadget. They briefly browse through the manual and then never read it again. This is not a good idea at all. You have to understand how your digicam works. You need to know how to control the flash, how to play with different camera modes, and how to control exposure. The knowledge you obtain about your digicam will be priceless when you’re out there shooting special photos.

  2. Learn to use the flash

  Controlling the flash is an important thing you must know about digital photography. Photographers do not rely on the digicam’s automatic flash setting. You have to switch on or switch off the flash, depending on the situation. For instance, it is sometimes advisable to switch on the flash when taking outdoor photos. This is to illuminate your subject, particularly if the object or person is in the shade. Also, you can choose to switch off the flash when you are taking indoor shots since using the flash indoors sometimes results in unnatural skin color.

  3. Play with the macro mode

  Remember the time when, as a kid, you discovered an entire community of ants that you never knew existed while playing on the grass? Nowadays, you might not want to see yourself on all fours just to have a detailed view of flowers or insects. All you need is a digicam that has a close up mode and you are ready to explore the world in finer details. A macro mode is perfect for taking detailed shots of objects.

  What you need to do is to choose a subject (a flower or an insect), switch on macro mode, and then get as close to your subject as your digicam will allow. Focus your camera properly before you depress the shutter button completely. Since you have shallow depth of field when you use the macro mode, you have to focus on the detail that interests you the most, and let the other parts of the subject go soft.

  4. Play with the ISO setting

  Basically, the ISO setting controls the image sensor’s sensitivity to the amount of light present. Always use a low ISO setting if you are shooting a photo of a still object such as fruits. This means a longer shutter speed and a cleaner image. If you are taking a photo of an object in motion, like a young boy singing, then use a higher ISO setting. But remember, the higher the ISO setting, the faster shutter speed; and also requires less light. Thus this will yield noiser photos.

  Posted in Digital Photography

  September 2nd, 2008 / No Comments