These cameras aren’t much bigger than the compact digital cameras, but they offer a lot more user control. The lenses might be bigger, heavier, and of higher optical quality. Almost all creative compact cameras offer the option of storing images in RAW format, usually proprietary but sometimes in Adobe’s standard DNG format.

A standard JPEG is convenient for uploading to the Web, sharing with friends, or getting prints. Unfortunately, a lot of shadow and highlight detail that was captured by the sensor can be lost with a standard JPEG.

Using the RAW format, the photographer has the opportunity to bring out that shadow or highlight detail in an image using an editing program on a personal computer (or letting a professional lab do it and make a really great print).

Unless you are prepared to spend an evening reading the manual and learning the settings I don’t recommend you buy one of these cameras. Otherwise your results will be the same as if you had used a simpler compact camera.

Panasonic LX2 (28-110mm F2.8-4.9 image-stabilized Leica lens; good for wide angle). Canon G7. 35-210mm F2.8-4.8 lens; no RAW capability; very bad noise at high ISO Ricoh GR Digital. This has a fixed focal-length 28mm equivalent lens that will be superb for wide-angle scenic photos. It is not clear if this camera is going to be sold in the United States.

This product category seems to have gone out of favor and therefore there isn’t much to choose from. Camera companies are concentrating their energies on the “SLR-like” category (below) and SLR category

This general guide will help to explain to you some of the concepts and terms used in relation to Canon EOS flash photography.

Flash and Strobe

What is the main difference between a Flash and strobe is just whether you are using UK or US English. We refer a strobe as a flash unit in the US whereas the British uses the word as meaning anything which emit blinking lights. Other commonly used terms which cause confusion in flash photography are the words “Speedlight” and “Speedlite”. Speedlight is actually the brand name of Nikon series of flash units while Speedlite is the brand name of Canon series of flash units.

Guide Number

The maximum distance which a flash unit can reach with its flash pulse is known as the guide number. But if you are using automatic flash metering, this number is not important at all. You will only need to know this number when you are more inclined to do manual settings for your flash.

Exposure value (EV)

EV or Exposure value is the value used for deciding the sensitivity of the AF (Auto Focus) system or exposure metering which respect to film types or lenses. You need to combine the aperture and shutter speed together to get this value. For example, 1/125 and F2 is equal to EV9 which is also equivalent to F4 and 1/30.

Non Dedicated and Dedicated Flash Units

Camera Manufacturers like Canon manufacture their own line of flash units to cater for their own range of cameras. The Canon line of flash units is known as the Speedlite series. These flash units are able to communicate with camera system thus allowing the photographers to enjoy more precision photography. They are called dedicated flash units. Non dedicated flash units are those flash units which are manufactured by third party manufacturers. They are usually generic and are not able to communicate with the camera system.

Shoe Mount

The rectangular slide-in socket which is usually located on top of the mirror or prism housing is known as the shoe mount. This mount is usually used for affixing the external flash unit to the camera. Sometimes it is called a Hot Shoe Mount as it has an electrical trigger to initiate the flash unit once the external flash is fixed to the camera. The Canon EOS Cameras have 4 additional contact points in the shoe mount which helps to transmit flash data from the trigger.

Redeye Effect

When the light from a flash unit is reflected back into the camera off the walls of the retina, this will produce the Redeye effect which we always see in pictures taken in low ambient light conditions. This due to the fact that the low ambient light condition causes the pupils of the eyes to dilate bigger and the color red is because the retina walls are lined with red blood vessels.

Redeye Reduction

To reduce the problem of Red Eye, one can use several methods. The most effective way is to distance the flash away from the lens or bounce the flash light onto the subject as opposed to flashing directly at the subject. The other way is for the subject to observe a bright light source just before taking the subject picture. This will make the pupils smaller and thus lessening the reflective capability of the retina.

There are so many beautiful landscapes. You don’t even have to travel outside of the United States, just visit a local or national park! These tips will help you take wonderful photographs of landscapes. Whether you are a beginning photographer, or a professional, these are simple tips to keep in mind when photographing landscapes.

1. Be cognizant of light quality. Figure out whether the lighting is soft or harsh. Is the light bright, or are you photographing at sunrise of sunset? What is the weather like- is it overcast or cloudy? Typically you will want to avoid mid-day light and photograph before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m.

2. Always be on the lookout for interesting lighting. If you are photographing mountains, look for back- or side-lighting. If you turn 90 away from the sun, you will create side-lighting. For a dramatic effect using back-lighting, you can create silhouettes with the sun behind the mountains.

3. Compose your photograph. For landscapes, symmetry works. Remember, simplicity is beautiful. Do you have lakes, streams, trees, or mountains? Look at the different shapes formed by the landscape in your frame.

4. Try to include bridges, paths, and roads. Use their shapes to draw the viewer in and lead them around the photo. If you photograph them at an angle, you are able to create that effect. Place the start of a road or path in the corner of the photo.

5. Try using infrared film for your landscape photography. Infrared film is more sensitive to infrared light. This means that your photographs will have darks skies and light/ bright leaves and vegetation. It’s awesome!

6. Generally, you will want your entire photo to be in focus, so use a large depth of field (small number, large aperture). Increasing exposure time also increases depth of field.

If you have water in your landscape (waterfalls, ocean, lakes), experiment with short and long exposures. Have fun with landscape photography and don’t forget to take a tripod along with you!

Before deciding to use Non canon non dedicated flashes with Canon EOS cameras, you will need to be aware of its trigger voltage. Canon Speedlites flashes uses no more than 6 volts in their trigger circuits. As such you have to ensure that the non canon Flashes should also comply within this tolerance. The Canon EOS cameras like the EOS-1,A2/A2E,10s,630,Elan,RT and Rebel are all designed to operate with no more than 6 volts passing through their trigger circuits.

Triggering circuits using more than 6 volts can damage the X-Sync contact point of the camera, the connecting wires and shutter units. You might not be aware of the damages as it could be happening gradually. In addition, the high voltage that is conducted through the Camera connecting wire will also generate electro magnetic noises which can create undesirable effects on the Camera functions. Problems can arise from the metering system, shutter speed, aperture settings etc. The effects will depend on which part of the camera circuitry system is being interfered with.

If you wish to test the Voltage of the triggering circuit of the flash, simply use a voltmeter. These can be purchased at any Radio Shack stores. Connect the positive lead to the positive point of the Camera Sync cord and the Negative lead to the ground of the Sync cord. For Shoe mounted Flash units, the positive lead must be connected to the center of the mount. The negative lead should be connected to the ground contact which is located on the side of the Lock nut. All the voltmeters have varying settings. If the voltage of the Flash unit is unknown, just use the highest settings and work your way downwards.

There is also a way which you can fire a flash without a Sync cord. To do this, you need the Speedlite 420EZ or 430EZ set at 1/32 power under the manual flash mode. Make certain that the optical slave trigger of the flash are turned on. In essence, you are making use of the bounce feature of the flash to redirect the flash light to the optical slave trigger. You can also use wireless radio transmitters and receivers which are connected to the PC contact and Flash Power pack to fire the Studio flash. These wireless gadgets are available from companies like Lindahl and Quantum Instruments.

If the Studio flash does not work with the Canon EOS Camera, you have to check on the following listed below:

1. Ensure that the PC socket adapter does not come with metal shoes. Metal shoes will cause a “short” in the triggering circuit. To avoid this problem, use a Canon PC socket adapter made from plastic.

2. Make sure that the flash units polarities are in the correct order with the X-Sync of the camera contact point. The reversed polarities are normally caused by a diode which is coupled to the camera’s X-Sync contact for the protection of the camera internal flash. To correct this problem, simply reverse the polarity of the Sync Cord.

3. If after having tired these two suggested solution and the Flash still wont fire, then just adopt the method described above to fire the Flash without the use of the Sync cord.

Using a flash to take pictures make seem like just a point and shoot thing for most people. However, to master the technique of good photo taking with a flash require mastering some skills. This is due to the fact that flash photography works in micro seconds and our eyes cannot distinguish the differences within that short period of time. In addition, we are also not able to see the flash working as we are looking through the viewfinder of the camera. Here in this guide, we will show you how with 5 simple tips you can achieve better flash photographic techniques.

External Flash versus the Canon Internal Flash unit.

Generally when we take pictures in settings like a restaurant or party situation, the use of an internal flash is more than adequate because the subjects to be photograph is usually at a close distance. The power of the internal flash unit will be powerful enough to illuminate the scene. Although the light from an internal flash is harsh, the conveniences of not lugging around an external far outweigh its drawback. Nevertheless, if the situation calls for a more professional photographic quality, you will need to use an external flash to do the job. By using an external flash, you will be able to soften the light of the flash unit by reflecting the light off the wall.

Compatibility of Old flash Units with the New Canon EOS digital camera.

To see if you old flash unit can work with the Canon new EOS digital camera, you will need to check if the Speedlite flash units ends with the letters “EX” behind its model designation. Only this model will be able to work with the new EOS digital camera. Those models with “E” or “EZ” model designations at the end will not be compatible with the new EOS digital cameras. Flash units from third party will need to support E-TTL flash metering system in order for it to work with Canon digital cameras.

Why internal flash produces lower quality photographs.

Because soft light comes from a big area, internal flash are unable to duplicate such lighting as the light source is from a small area mounted near the lens of the camera. This tends to produce the unappealing result which we always find with pictures taken with internal flash. One way to go around this is to bounce the flash light of the wall onto the subject matter thus softening the light and producing a more natural look. Alternatively, you can also use diffuser to diffuse the light of the flash.

Overcoming Red Eye effect while using flash light.

The most common problem when using internal flash to take a picture is the problem of “Red Eyes”. This happens because the red blood vessels lining the retina of the eyes reflect back the flash light back into the camera resulting in the subject eyes glowing red in the photos. Taking pictures of animal also produces a related problem but this call the “Green eye” effect because of the color pigment of the animal’s eyes. When you use an external flash, you will be able to avoid all these problems.

How to take photos in rapid succession using the flash.

After a flash unit has fire off its light, it will require some time to charge up. Therefore if you keep taking pictures is rapid succession you have to make sure that the flash unit is the “Rapid Fire” type. This just means that the flash will work even though it has not reach it full charge. Don’t forget also that the batteries play a part in the ability of the flash unit to charge quickly too.

What would a wedding be without photographs; just how much would the bride and groom remember a few years later. Probably the greatest benefit of digital wedding photography is how quickly the couple and guests can see the photos.

This isn’t easy; creating that perfect shot if you are taking photographs without help as there is only so much you can do on your own without help. This article highlights a few basic techniques and styles for anyone who wants to capture a friend or family members wedding using a digital camera.

Many amateur photographers make the mistake of taking pictures with a boring background which is not something you want in a wedding photo. Often when there is a good background there are just too many people in the shot, so if this is the situation, just try and capture a nice head and shoulders shot of the couple.

Spectacled guests can be a problem as glare from their glasses obscures their eyes and reflects back at the camera. If there is someone in the group that you particularly want to take a photograph of but they are in a crowd then try using the zoom, it will give a good close-up that you wouldn’t achieve any other way.

Some of the best pictures you will take will be those where the subject(s) do not know the shot is being taken and the best way to do this is by using a zoom lens. You should be alert at all times when shooting digital wedding photography since you can seldom ask people to keep posing for you and the day is also about spontaneity.

Digital cameras rely on two things, memory and power and the last thing you want when you take your shots is to run out of memory or for the batteries to die on you. A one gigabyte card should be the bare minimum you have if your camera is a six mega pixel model, a larger capacity if the camera has a higher mega pixel rating.

The higher the resolution you set the better the images will be and the larger they can be printed out. Once you have the images it is only a matter of printing out the ones you want and saving all of them on a CD for a permanent storage or presentation.

If you have a passion for photography and a good relationship with the two people getting married then your digital wedding photography images should come out just fine.

The success of Photoshop within professional designer circles easily makes it the industry standard for digital imaging. The idea that Photoshop is, in essence, a brand name that has crossed grammatical barriers to become a noun and a verb makes it a true cultural phenomenon. If you are an amateur photographers please don’t let all this hype get in your way of learning the program. Photoshop is a powerful tool for anyone who simply wants to make their personal photo collection look better.

Opening Photos With Photoshop Now that you’re getting comfortable with what’s on the screen, it’s time to learn how to get your photo in there so you can start editing! If your photos are in digital format already (i.e. taken with a digital camera), consult the camera’s documentation to learn how to transfer them to your computer. If you have photo prints, you can still edit them with Photoshop! Use a scanner to move the photos onto your desktop. Once the photos are on your computer, group them in a folder. To make it easy, call the folder something simple like “Original Photos.” Then copy the folder’s contents into a new folder. You may want to call this “Edited Photos.” Making this duplicate set of photos to work with means that if you make a mistake at any point in the editing process, you’ll always have an original copy of your photo to go back to. Now start Photoshop by double-clicking on the program. Go to the File menu and select that you want to open an image. Navigate to your “Edited Photos” folder (or to whatever you called it) and choose a photo. Now you’re ready to begin!

Adjust Levels in Your Photos It’s always a good idea to check a photo’s levels before you do any other editing. When photos are backlit, lit poorly, or overexposed, the colors may not look quite right. Sometimes this is very obvious, but other times it’s hard to tell, so always check your photo’s levels. This will help you make the colors in your photos look their best. With your image open in Photoshop, find and click Edit in the menu bar. Point to Adjustments > in the drop-down menu and leave the cursor there for a second. In the menu that pops up (usually to the right), click on Auto Levels.

After adjusting the levels you should see a change in the appearance of your photo. It’s okay if you don’t see a noticeable difference. If there is no change it simply means that your photo looked good right from the start. After you have adjusted the levels save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows. As you work with Photoshop you will find there are keyboard shortcuts that you can use for speed up your work; the keyboard shortcut for Auto Levels is Shift + Apple + L on a Mac or CTRL + L on a PC.

Reduce Red Eye in Your Photos We all know the bane of red eye in photos. This culprit has ruined more photos than goofy grimaces, poorly timed blinks, and crying babies combined. Getting rid of red eye is easy with these instructions. With your image open in Photoshop, make sure your Layers Palette is visible. Usually the Layers Palette is visible by default in the lower right hand corner when you open Photoshop. If you do not see the window, just click Windows in the menu bar, scroll to Layers, and make sure Layers has a check mark next to it. If it doesn’t, click it once and the Layers palette will appear. In the Layers palette, go to the adjustment layer button. This button is at the bottom of the window. It contains a half-black, half-white circle and displays a yellow box that says “Create new fill or adjustment layer” when you move your mouse over it. Click the adjustment layer button. Select Channel Mixer from the menu that comes up. A box called Channel Mixer will open. Set the Red slider to 0%, and the Blue and Green sliders to 50%. Click OK. Now the people in the photos look like bluish-gray-skinned ghouls. Don’t worry, they’re supposed to! They’ll soon look like their regular selves again. Using the toolbarAt the bottom of the toolbar (the long thin palette on the left), set the foreground color to black. In the toolbar, select the brush tool. If the red eyes are hard to see on your monitor because they’re too small, go to the toolbar and select the zoom tool. Zoom in on the eyes in the photo by clicking on them. Select the brush tool again when you’re done. Go back to the Layers palette. There should be a Background layer and a layer called Channel Mixer 1. Make sure the layer Channel Mixer 1 is selected by clicking it once. Paint the parts of the eyes that looked red before item #4. They should turn red again. In the menu bar click on Image. Move your mouse over Adjustments in the drop down menu just like last time. Click Invert in the menu that comes up on the right. We fixed the red eye! Save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows. If you see a red ring around the newly-fixed eyes, we can fix that too. First make sure the Channel Mixer 1 layer is selected (click it once). In the main toolbar, make sure the foreground color is set to white. You will have to change it, since it was set to black a second ago. Select the paintbrush tool from the toolbar, and carefully paint the red ring. You should see it change to the correct eye color as you paint. In the menu bar click Layer. Click on Flatten Image at the bottom of the menu. Save your work by hitting Apple + S in Mac OS X or CTRL + S in Windows.

You’ve probably been dreaming about your wedding day for years. You want everything to be perfect on your special day, especially the photography! It’s important to make sure you pick the right photographer for your wedding, since it can have a big effect on your wedding day memories.

If you don’t have a good wedding photographer, you could just end up with memories, instead of wonderful photos. While a good photographer might not be the cheapest, you can still get a good deal if you plan carefully.

No doubt you want the entire day, including the pictures, to be perfect. So, here are a few tips to help you as you choose a wedding photographer for your big day.

First, take a look at the price you’ll be paying for your photographer. Find out if you’ll be charged only an hourly fee, or if there’ll be a base fee in addition. This could be an important factor in your decision to go with one photographer or another.

It’s also a good idea to find out how long the photographer will be at the wedding. After a certain period of time, most photographers start to charge overtime fees. Know this in advance to avoid unexpected charges.

It’s also important to carefully read the contract when you make your choice. Be sure to examine everything closely before you sign any papers. You should know what you’re getting into with that specific photographer.

Find out how long you’ll need to wait on proofs and prints. Most people will want to see their pictures as soon as possible. Just remember that speed orders are more expensive.

Remember to stop and think about the photography style you prefer when choosing your photographer. Take a look at a potential photographer’s personal style to see if you like it.

Style isn’t everything - personality is also important. Even if your photographer takes great photos, they need to be someone you can get along with. That’s why it’s so important to meet with your photographer in advance.

References are a good idea, too. Check out the references you’ve been given to see how other people felt about using this photographer. Your friends or family might have hired the photographer in the past - ask them how it went.

It’s essential to have the perfect photographer for your big day. Make sure you keep these tips in mind and plan well - that’ll ensure that you get the right person to capture your memories.

Macro photography is close-up photography. You are able to get close to small objects and photograph detail. Macro lenses are typically 1:1 (”life size”). What this means is that the image of your subject is relatively the same size in real life. Below ar

1. First, you need to decide what type of equipment you want to use. You have many options: a bellows attachment, a telephoto extender, a close-up lens, or a macro filter. If you are just beginning, you may just want to invest in the macro filter.

2. The depth of field for macro photography is different. Choosing a high f-stop number like an F16 or F22 (small aperture) is good. A good portion of your background will not be in focus.

3. When you are focusing in on your subject, be very careful, because many times the part you want in focus will end up being blurry. Unless you are shooting under bright lighting conditions, you will end up using a slow shutter speed.

4. Lighting is another important aspect. Because you will be very close to your subject, there must be sufficient light between your lens and your subject. Ring flashes can be used to avoid this problem.

5. High film speeds will allow you to increase your shutter speed, since you will be using a slow shutter speed. It is recommended to stay at ISO200 or lower.

6. Get out there and photograph a wide variety of subjects. Keep in mind shape and texture. Make sure you have great composition, and be aware of the different colors in the background.

Additional things you may want to try: experiment with light balance, use a tripod, or use a diffuser. Take your time with macro photography and always have fun. Great subjects are flowers and bugs.

The effects you can achieve today with editing software are beyond what professional photographers years ago thought possible. Now is a time when there are no limitations on editing images- everything is possible and creativity is the only requirement to make outstanding pictures. There are thousands of programs that help us improve the photographs we take, but none have the respect of the professional and amateur community as Adobe Photoshop. The software is so closely linked with altering images that the term ‘to Photoshop’ has come to mean ‘to enhance pictures’.

It is possible to ‘Photoshop’ images to give fantasy the illusion of reality. You can alter images so that figures and objects appear in the image that could never be seen together. Whether it’s a party with past presidents, Frankenstein and the Easter Bunny, or a picture of you and a celebrity you’ve never met, you can make anything appear completely realistic.

Photoshop is also useful and perhaps more infamous for removing aspects of the image you don’t want. Physical imperfections can be removed from images of people, as is often done in the advertising industry to sell products. Objects that distract from the main focus of the image can be removed just as easily, and the software is so advanced that you can’t tell that the image has been altered.

Photoshop is essential for anyone interested in photography in today’s digital world. The software is just as important and wide-spread as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint in the media industry. You may feel pressure to learn how to use the software, but the resources are easily available to anyone due to the popularity of the program. A lot of people know how to use Photoshop, so if you know anyone in college or high school, ask them if they could teach you.

In 1989 Thomas and John Knoll developed a basic program which was to eventually become Photoshop. They were using this program for their own projects, but they soon realised they could make money by selling the program as it added real value to anyone wanting to edit photography. They quickly formed the company Adobe and began marketing the product.

The success of Adobe is an outstanding example of the power of the internet. Software designed by Adobe is on nearly every computer in the world, as its free PDF reader has had such widespread popularity. The Adobe Reader is the standard PDF reader, just as Adobe Photoshop is the standard photo editor and is proof of Adobe’s unique dominance of media-related software.

To become a master of Photoshop, you should find a copy that you can try things out with. Someone you know probably has it on their computer, so use their copy to try things out and get used to how Photoshop works. If your friend knows how to use the program, let them impress you with how powerful Photoshop can be. After that, you’ll be hooked on Photoshop forever.

Downloading a copy for your own use will make it easier to practice using Photoshop. You can get a free trial version, but it will have limited features. The best thing to do is to buy a full version from Adobe as then you don’t have to worry anymore and can concentrate on learning how to use the product. Photoshop is used so much, that it makes sense buying a copy. Once you own a copy, you may find that you spend hours experimenting and exploring the features. While this is a great way to get used to the features, specific learning in a Photoshop class can improve your learning curve and make you understand Photoshop faster.

When you master the software, there is no limit to what you can do. Just imagine any concept and you will be able to translate it into an image in no time. Keep experimenting, and remember to have fun!