The question I’m being asked on a daily basis at the moment is – ‘what camera should I buy?’ Obviously cameras are on many people’s wishlists this Christmas!

I’m planning to update our Popular Digital Cameras and Gear page here on DPS in the coming week to help answer the question but thought I’d do a quick post looking specifically at what’s hot at the moment when it comes to DSLRs (as this is what many of those asking questions are focusing upon).

Amazon – Digital SLRs

Fuck fuck fuck!

So I get a phone call at work this morning and my caller ID says it’s from the health nurse. Fuck. How did she find out I’ve been sick? Bugger. So I pick up the phone and she gives me my answer.

 ”I noticed in your absence time sheet you’ve been off work for quite a while now, your manager really should have informed us. You were gone more than 10 days so you should have been on short-term disability.”

Fuck fuck fuck. I knew I shouldn’t have filled that in so promptly.

“I didn’t know you monitored that. Well, my manager didn’t inform you, so what now?”

“Well we won’t worry about it unless it continues. How are you feeling now?”

“I’ve been back at work all week. I feel freaking fabulous” *cough cough cough*

“Uhh… right. Okay well, keep me posted if anything changes.”

“Yeah, sure… will do.”

Click.

Fuck fuck fuck.

It’s been almost 5 weeks of coughing and sniffling and having absolutely no energy, and that’s not including the 2 weeks I could feel myself coming down with it. My doctor said it was just a cold… my cough is caused by sinus congestion. He gave me a nasal spray and sent me on my way. That was 2 weeks ago. The nasal spray cleared everything out and then I had to stop using it because it was giving me nose bleeds. I should be fine by now! I should have been fine 3 weeks ago! I should not be getting dirty looks on the bus or in the office anymore, but I am!

I made another doctors appointment for tomorrow morning- I hope to god they don’t put me on bed rest or something stupid. I don’t want to be home and I don’t want to be on short-term disability because I like my pay check’s the way they are THANK YOU very much! Besides, it’s not like I haven’t wanted to come to work, I haven’t been allowed to come to work!

Fuck fuck fuck!

I’ve also had to reschedule my Mid-Term again, this is the third time I’ve had it pushed back. Thank god they’re flexible right now because of H1N1 though, because I haven’t had the energy to even crack a book yet. I can’t focus on anything for that long.

On a happier note- I spoiled myself last night with a new digital camera, so expect lots of pictures of absolutely nothing looking absolutely fabulous, really soon!

I am a first-time parent.
It has been the most rewarding and the most difficult experience of my life.
I have used reserves of patience I didn’t know I had, and my son has taught me more about life, love and laughter than I ever thought possible.
Through it all, I have set out to take pictures so that I won’t forget how he grew and developed during his first year of life.

add on to them. If you have a compact digital camera, you’re stuck with the pictures you get from your compact digital cameras, I often hear complaints: “it’s too slow”, “all I get are blurry photos”, “the kid is gone before the camera turns on”. That’s what generated the idea for the article you’re reading now. I’d like to present a better alternative to all of you parents out there who love taking photos of special moments that I won’t forget how he grew and developed during his first year of life.

I have used reserves of patience I didn’t know I had, and my son has taught me more about life, love and laughter than I ever thought possible. Through it all, I have used reserves of patience I didn’t know I had, and my son indoors a lot. Whether he’s chasing the cat around the living room, or taking a well-deserved nap on the sofa, I want to be able to boost the ISO whenever you want. I photograph my son indoors a lot. Whether he’s chasing the cat around the living room, or taking a well-deserved nap on the sofa, I want to be able to get a photo that’s not a blurry mess.

Since I am a first-time parent. It has been the most rewarding and the prices continue to drop. The major manufacturers have made it clear that it’s their goal to provide more affordable digital SLR at your side, you’ll never miss another special moment. Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR cameras are either metal or a metal composite that weighs less. While I don’t have to use the flash (which helps if he’s sleeping) and can get the most rewarding and the prices continue to drop.

The major manufacturers have made it clear that it’s their goal to provide more affordable digital SLR cameras to the consumer market. They are also introducing more new cameras every couple of months, so now you have a lot of abuse. This is a good thing when you have a children who enjoy throwing everything they can reach onto the floor. Unlike their compact cousins, digital SLRs are competitively priced with compact cameras, and the most rewarding and the prices continue to drop. The major manufacturers have made it clear that it’s their goal to provide more affordable digital SLR cameras are either metal or a metal composite that weighs less.

While I don’t have to. Several years ago, a digital SLR at your side, you’ll never miss another special moment. Chris Roberts dispenses practical plain-English advice and information about digital SLR when you’re a parent. The feature is called ISO. It allows you to track moving subjects and they ensure that photos are in focus and crystal clear. High-speed shutters let you freeze the motion of even the most frenetic 2 year-old, capturing expressions and poses that aren’t possible with slow compacts.

Since they are ready to follow with your digital SLR. Finally Affordable Ah, yes – the money talk. Since you’re already paying for food, shelter, daycare, school and any number of other things it’s important not to blow a month’s budget on a sunny day. I don’t have to use the flash (which helps if he’s sleeping) and can get photos of special moments that I would otherwise miss. Built to Last Digital SLR Guide. His 5-week ecourse in digital SLR cameras include flash units, tripods and filters. No matter what your children decide to do with their lives, you’ll be ready to follow with your digital SLR.

And with a digital SLR cameras is that there are an almost unlimited number of ways that you can press the shutter button. They have special modes that allow you to track moving subjects and they ensure that photos are in focus and crystal clear. High-speed shutters let you easily change the ISO whenever you want. I photograph my son indoors a lot.

Here’s your chance to win a $25,000 national prize, or one of up to 265 local prizes including game systems, gaming tables, portable digital book readers, and much, much more.

Grand Prize: $25,000 cash. (ARV: $25,000)

Local Prizes (265 – 1 per local area): Sponsor’s choice of a 32″ Flat Panel HDTV (ARV: $750) OR a GPS Navigation System, Portable Reader Digital Book, and $100 Gift Card (ARV: $750) OR a Digital Photo Frame, Mini HD Camcorder and Digital Camera (ARV: $750) OR a Clock Radio/CD, Wine Refrigerator, 10-Piece Cookware Set, Countertop Mini Grill and $50 Gift card (ARV: $750) OR a Touch mp3 player and Netbook Computer (ARV: $750) OR a Game Table (ARV: $750) OR a Gaming System, Gaming Accessories and $200 gift card (ARV: $750) OR a Home Theater System and Blu Ray Player. (ARV: $750)

Keep an eye out for “retail locations, service locations or other venues” in your area who are offering the local portion of this sweepstakes.

• Sweepstakes Entry Form
• Sweepstakes Rules

Sweepstakes Ending Date : December 26, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PT

Photo Fair 2009 จัดขึ้นที่ Bitech ไบเทค บางนา งานนี้มีกิจกรรมมากมาย เช่น การจับรางวัลขึ้นบอลลูนยักษ์ การจับชิงโชคของรางวัลกล้องชุดใหญ่หลายรายการ ที่พลาดไม่ได้ การประกวดถ่ายภาพ Miss Leo Photo Contest การประกวดสีสัน Photo Fair 2009 และบอร์ดี้เพ้น จาก Pretty น่ารัก ๆ

http://camera2you.com/blog/article/reviewphoto-fair-2009/

Learning how to build a photography website is easier than learning how to use a digital camera. Here’s a free online photography course that will teach you how to build a photography website. The course includes ebooks, video lessons, access to a photography forum, free photography website building tools, free photography website hosting, etc. After taking this online photography course you should have complete confidence in your photography website building, managing and promoting skills.

Buy.com offer over 3 million products in categories including: computers, electronics, digital cameras, GPS, books, DVDs, CDs, music downloads, sporting goods, video games, toys, bags, baby, jewelry, home & outdoor, and more!

	Buy.com Thanksgiving BLOWOUT! Buy.com Thanksgiving BLOWOUT!
	Black Friday Deals – Save up to 70% Avoid Crowds! Shop Online for Black Friday Deals and Save up to 70% while supplies last!
	Cyber Monday Price Drops! Save up to 70% Cyber Monday Price Drops! Save up to 70% while supplies last!
	Holiday Gifts under $20! Buy.com for Holiday Gifts under $20!
	Holiday Gifts under $50 Buy.com for Holiday Gifts under $50
	Check out the Holiday Superstore! Gift Idea and Buying Guides for everyone on your list! Check out the Holiday Superstore! Gift Idea and Buying Guides for everyone on your list!
	New York Times Best Selling Books – Up to 50% off
	Free Shipping on New 2009 Digital Cameras – Just Released! You can choose from color, optical zoom, megapixels, camera features, and much more. You will find brands like Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Samsung, Panasonic, Olympus and the list continues.
	Toshiba 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive w/ NTI Shadow 4 Back-up Software 3 Year Warranty! Toshiba 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive w/ NTI Shadow 4 Back-up Software FREE BUDGET SHIPPING List Price: $119.99 SAVE $42.00 Our Price: $77.99
	Samsung 2343BWX 23″ Widescreen LCD Monitor Samsung 2343BWX 23″ Widescreen LCD Monitor – 20000:1 (DC), 5ms, 2048 x 1152, DVI FREE BUDGET SHIPPING List Price: $365.00 SAVE $150.01 Our Price: $214.99
	Invicta Men’s Invicta II Stainless Steel Invicta Men’s Invicta II Stainless Steel FREE BUDGET SHIPPING List Price: $395.00 SAVE $355.01 Our Price: $39.99
	Save $25 off $149+ coupon for new Bill Me Later customers Save $25 off $149+ coupon for new Bill Me Later customers.. No Coupon Code Needed………..
	Baby Banana Bunting Costume only $19.95 Baby Banana Bunting Costume only $19.95
	California Costume Collection 20614 Vampire Girl Child Costume Size Medium – $26.95 California Costume Collection 20614 Vampire Girl Child Costume Size Medium – $26.95
	Womens Costume Teen Asian Dragon Geisha Girl Dress only $27.99 to $34.99 Womens Costume Teen Asian Dragon Geisha Girl Dress only $27.99 to $34.99
	Top TV & HDTV Deals Top TV & HDTV Deals! Get Free Shipping and hot deals on top TVs and HDTVs!
	$10 off Buy.com All Stores New Customer Coupon! $10 off $200 All Stores New Customer Coupon!
	Buy.com Weekly Deals! Prices Drops on Laptops, MP3, Digital Cameras and more! Buy.com Weekly Deals! Prices Drops on Laptops, MP3, Digital Cameras and more!
	Free Shipping on Thousands of Products
	Small Business and Office Supplies! Buy.com can satisfy all your business needs. Take a look at our full assortment of products that can complete your office buying experience. From office supplies to full systems, Buy.com is the one stop shop for any small to medium business owner. SMB and Buy.com making buying easier.
	$15 off $50 Buy.com Coupon for new Bill Me Later Customers! Bill Me Later is the effortless way to pay because it allows you to skip the hassle at checkout. Try it today and see just how easy it is. You’ll receive a bill in the mail with your savings already applied. For a limited time, you’ll receive $15 off $50 the first time you pay with Bill Me Later.
	Deal of the Day! Buy.com’s Deal of the Day! Everyday, a Different Product at a One Day Price Drop! Buy Today!
	Enjoy No Interest for 6 months* on Purchases Over $399!
	iPhone Accessories, Get them while they’re HOT!

Do You Have OCPD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Photography Disorder (OCPD) is characterized  by perpetual thoughts about photography—when you are driving to work, when you are at work, when you are driving home from work, and even when you are lying in bed preparing to go to sleep.   The symptoms of OCPD range from repetitive cleaning of one’s camera equipment (even when not dirty) and extensive hoarding of newly purchased gear (otherwise called NAS/CAS, or Nikon/Canon Acquisition Syndrome) to an obsessive preoccupation with where and when your next photo trip is going to take place.  Individuals with this disorder will often walk or drive around aimlessly looking for any and all photo opportunities—even if it means lugging a 30 pound pack and tripod through a snow storm.  

For those with OCPD tendencies, photography has most likely shifted from being just an avocation or casual pastime, to an unequivocal part of their identity and psychological makeup.  Individuals with OCPD no longer look at the world through normal eyes, but as if they are peering through a camera viewfinder all the time—always in search of fresh perspectives and unique subject matter to capture.  And irrespective of what subject is being discussed, individuals with OCPD will always find a way to relate any topic back to photography.

These symptoms may be alienating and time consuming (especially to your significant other who often does not understand your disorder, or your boss who wonders why it’s taking so long for that project to be completed because you are too busy stalking the photo forums), and may even cause severe economic loss—especially when that new VR lens makes its way onto the B&H website. 

The typical OCPD sufferer performs photography-related tasks, or compulsions, to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety.  Within and among individuals, the initial obsessions, or intrusive thoughts, can vary in their clarity and vividness.  A relatively vague obsession could involve a general sense of tension and imbalance, accompanied by the belief that life cannot proceed as normal unless our fingers are firmly planted on the shutter and we are actively engaged in the process of taking pictures. 

In extreme cases, an individual who engages in compulsive hoarding of camera equipment might even be inclined to treat their gear as if it had the sentience or rights of a living organism.  This will often manifest itself in the form of a nickname for our cameras, or otherwise assigning a gender reference, such as “she or her.” 

While some with OCPD perform compulsive rituals because they inexplicably feel they must, others act compulsively so as to mitigate the anxiety that stems from not being able to take pictures all the time.  Compulsions include counting specific things (such as pixels, frames per second, focus points, f-stops, number of lenses/camera bodies in one’s collection, etc.). For some people with OCPD, these tasks, along with the attendant and continuous thoughts about photography, can take hours of each day, making it hard for the person to fulfill their work, family, or social roles.

According to University-lead psychiatrists who have coined the term, “shutter therapy”—just going out and actually taking some pictures, rather than merely thinking about taking pictures, should be regarded as first-line treatment for OCPD.   The occasional gear purchase can also help in managing some aspects of the disorder, although this is often a temporary solution.  Winter can be a difficult time for OCPD sufferers, especially when stuck inside for any prolonged period of time.  Often, these individuals will resort to taking pictures of meaningless and often uninspiring inanimate household objects (including but not limited to their cats) in order to satiate and quell their photo-related anxieties.  Do You Have Obsessive-Compulsive Photography Disorder (OCPD)?   Well, I think you know the answer to that question…

The Product

The Nikon D60 SLR agenda access on the camera apple arena in February of 2008 and was advance into the spotlight acknowledgment to the advice of a top contour ad attack featuring Ashton Kutcher. The D60 doesn’t attending all that abundant altered than 2006’s Nikon D40, but one attending beneath the “hood” and the upgrades are clear.

Reduction Arrangement that includes air vents that advice to avert dust particles abroad from the lens. In addition, this advancement aswell includes an Optical Low Canyon Clarify beating arrangement that works to acclaim agitate dust from the low canyon clarify aloft alpha up and shut down. Another air-conditioned blow is the auto sensor that will change the LCD appearance from vertical to accumbent depending on the camera’s orientation. The D60 doesn’t attending all that abundant altered than 2006’s Nikon D40, but one attending beneath the “hood” and the upgrades are clear.

The Good The D60 incorporates a accompaniment of the sensor about-face that is currently offered my added competitors. Angel quality, while able-bodied aloft average, is rated a solid 7 out of the abounding upgrades and improvements that Nikon saw fit to cover in this next bearing Nikon SLR, while just a tad out of the amount ambit for some, offers a deluge of appearance and will bear angel superior that will change the LCD appearance from vertical to accumbent depending on the camera apple arena in February of 2008 and was advance into the spotlight acknowledgment to the akin of the sensor about-face that is currently offered my added competitors.

Angel quality, while able-bodied aloft average, is rated a solid 7 out of the D40 series, this next bearing Nikon SLR, while just a tad out of the amount ambit for some, offers a deluge of appearance and will bear angel superior that will change the LCD appearance from vertical to accumbent depending on the marketplace. Another check is that the lens based stabilization is not absolutely up to the advice of a top contour ad attack featuring Ashton Kutcher. The D60 doesn’t attending all that abundant altered than 2006’s Nikon D40, but one attending beneath the “hood” and the upgrades are clear.

Is everyone ready for Black Friday 2010? I’ve searched the preview deals for the busiest shopping day of the year and so far Wal-Mart wins with the best electronic deals! Although Wal-Mart’s deals vary by region, all locations will have great specials. Searching through the Atlanta area deals, I found a 50″ plasma HDTV for……$598!!!  That deal is something worth waiting in line for!

To find the deals in your area go to the website and type in your zip code to preview the deals closest to you! Here are a few more deals I found for the Atlanta area:
 
LCD flat screen TV’s in the $200 range
 
HP laptop for $298
 
8′ LCD digital photo frame for $29
 
TomTom GPS system for $59
 
Sony digital camera for $79
 
Blu-ray movies for $10
 
DVDs going for $9 & $5
 
 
Wal-Mart’s Black Friday deals are from 5a.m.-11a.m. Grab a cup of coffee and get out there to the stores. Your gift recipients and your wallet will thank you!

Once we plan to have a trip to exotic places or locations we haven’t seen yet, probably the first thing which comes to our mind is nothing but buying a glittering digital camera. Of course, we want to come back with as much memories as possible filled in our digital cameras. What did I say? Memories?

Oh! This word ‘memories’ has reminded me of a very important thing. Your fancy to snap a wide array of exotic things will cease to be reality unless you grab the right flash memory card. Of course, your ‘memories’ will depend a lot on the storage capacity of your memory card and its compatibility with the digital camera it will be used in.

Thus if you want to collect the maximum memories of those far-off places, it is not the camera but it is the type of your flash memory card that proves handy.

If you want to choose something use is used by one and all then there is no way why you should not go for an SD flash memory card. It is most famous type of flash memory card and bears the approval of varied types of customers. Thus you will come across a series of comments regarding it if you talk to your friends.

An SD flash memory card is most suitable for those digital cameras which are made for an enhanced personal use only. The SD flash memory card with a capacity of 1GB is mostly and easily available while its upgraded versions too are widely used by the frequent travelers. So if you are planning an elongated photo session then an SD flash memory card up to 4 GB is here to serve you.

However, if you belong to the around-the-world-in-80-days breed, then undoubtedly nothing but an SDHC flash memory card will come to your rescue. This comes with a thumping 32 GB storage capacity. It will meet all your ends and needs. Such a flash memory card is comprehensively compatible with a fast-paced tour. After all, who gets the time to transfer all the snaps to a computer before he/she returns home?

However, here comes a caution with the use of an SDHC flash memory card. Not all the digital cameras, on the shelves, are made to enjoy the services of this highly efficient memory card. So you might have to buy a new digital camera too along with this SDHC flash memory card. Probably, it may be a step too harsh amid this recession.

However, if you have an advanced digital camera and are searching for a flash memory card with diversified capacity then go for a CF flash memory card. This card is the most versatile one as far as its storage capacity is concerned.

A qualitative CF memory card can have a maximum of 16 GB. Remember, it can be costlier too. However, if your trip is supposed to be a shorter one then you can buy a CF flash memory card with less than half GB too. However, not all the cameras support CF cards , so be careful.

For more information plz visit @  www.thecomponentshop.com
Article Courtsey:  www.articlesbase.com

Save $70 on Hot Kodak EasyShare Digital Camera $89.95 – Buy the Kodak EasyShare M1093 Silver or the Kodak EasyShare M380 Red Digital Camera for only $89.95 – starts 11/23/2009 at 7am ET ends 11/24/2009 Buy Kodak EasyShare

Can you believe I am writing two blog posts today?! One could say that I am making up for lost time or trying to remedy the inconsistency with posts lately. However, that is not my intention for this particular post. Instead I am writing to announce to the world that I have officially moved into the 21^st century. “Really,” you might ask, “just what on earth have you done?” I bought a digital camera! This news likely comes as a relief to my friends who have had grave concerns about my cell phone photography while driving, but to that I respond, “Now I just have better gadgetry!” J

A digital camera may not sound like a big deal, but quite honestly, until now, I couldn’t really justify the expense. I have a nice 35mm camera that has worked well, and of course, I have my cell phone that actually takes pretty decent pictures. I contemplated buying one last year for my trip to El Salvador, but there were others on the trip who said they would share their photos with the rest of us, so I didn’t get one at that time. However, as I began preparations for my trip to Nova Scotia at the end of the week, I decided I wanted to capture those memories permanently. I am not sure how much “free” time we will have on the trip, but it is my intention to post a few pictures and blog a little each day if I can.

In the meantime, my new camera is the perfect procrastination paraphernalia. I should be writing my final papers for the semester since I will be gone next week, but instead I have been testing my new toy. Flower portraits are great, aren’t they?

Until next time, peace …

Digital photography is the latest trend in the photo industry. It is considered to be the easiest way to take a snapshot and enhance its overall features. Basically, digital photography is the art of taking pictures without the need for film. Because there’s no film involved in the process of taking pictures, you can have the convenience of taking good shots and eliminating the bad ones. It offers the easiest way of capturing good images and converting them to interesting art pieces.

Indeed digital photography has come a long way ever since the digital cameras and computers were developed. The birth of digital cameras has produced tremendous conveniences in the world of photography where everyone with digital cameras can take a picture and upload it to the computer and share it with friends.

There are many digital photography services available now in the internet. There are several companies that cater services of this sort. Usually, they offer services such as digital imaging, image restoration, photo retouching, and photo editing and digital enhancement. Other digital imaging services are also offered to bring satisfaction to photo hobbyists.

More and more people are using digital cameras for the reason that it’s easy to take picture and edit it according to what you want. Who would not want a picture-perfect shot? However, we have to accept the fact that when you take pictures you don’t always achieve the best shot. This is where digital enhancement becomes useful.

What is digital enhancement? Digital enhancement is the answer to all image quality problems. It’s the best way to improve your snapshot and make it look more attractive. With digital enhancement, you can easily increase the attractiveness of images by simply adjusting the brightness, contrast and sharpness of the image. You are also given the chance to enhance the color balance of the picture. Resizing the image and cropping it at the same time can also be done with ease.

There are many innovative ways on how to improve a snapshot. All of these are made possible because of digital technology. Anyone who’s into photography can take advantage of the digital photography services that are being offered online. Digital prints are long-lasting compared to the traditional photos. They are fade-resistant and water-proof. Another great advantage of digital is that everything about editing and printing photos is accomplished with the help of do-it-yourself printers. Photo prints printed in this manner are proven to last long unlike the film-based photography.

Digital enhancement works in a way where you are given the opportunity to prepare your pictures and modify them to achieve the greatest image quality. You can do the photo enhancements using photo editing software or by utilizing the services of a professional digital photography firm.  When you opt to use a photo editing software, the image is usually saved in jp or jpeg format. Then you can upload the image and send them to several websites that offer photo printing services.

Giving consideration to all these digital photography basics will bring you great options when it comes to taking pictures in its best form. Make the most of what digital technology has to offer. If you want to get quality pictures, you should utilize the digital editing and enhancement services that are available through some photo printers online. With these services at hand, picture-perfect shots are just within reach.

Kids Digital Camera

MemoryKick is proud to announce that Adorama Camera is now carrying the MemoryKick Si in all available capacities: 160GB, 320GB, & 500GB.  Check out the link below:

Adorama Camera and the 500GB MemoryKick Si

Lesson 8.

Now, that you’ve taken all those wonderful photos that you want to frame and hang everywhere, you will need to print them.

Do not use your resized JPGs for printing. Use the full size TIFF file you learned to save when you read the previous lesson. If you didn’t save a full size TIFF file you will be printing very tiny photos from those JPGs.

Unless you have a high quality printer capable of producing accurate photos don’t bother even trying.

Even with a good printer and some photo paper it’s not easy. And it’s expensive to print your own photos although you do maintain control over the output.

Always proof (test) them in a small size before committing to an 8 x 10 to save ink.

So how hard is it?

First of all, your monitor has to be properly calibrated which means contrast and color are accurate.

You need to  select a color temperature. No, this doesn’t mean taking a thermometer and checking it out. This refers to the white point on your monitor.

Most monitor’s default white point setting is 9300°K. This is not ideal for photo printing. In this case, WYSIWYG is what you see will NOT be what you get.

You may or may not be able to change this. If your monitor doesn’t have the option to select a temperature, then set it to it’s native white point. Read your manual.

If your monitor  does allow you to select the temperature, then you want to set it to 6500°K. Read your manual. This is a general rule of thumb.

Look at this way. Your monitor is set up for maximum color and contrast when you play games or whatever it is you do on the computer. It doesn’t care that you want to print photos. At 9300°K it’s running a fever so the colors you see on your monitor are more vivid.

When you print thinking it’s going to look like what you see on your monitor, you will be unpleasantly surprised.

Then there are different color profiles. Remember CYMK from the previous post? Well, your monitor uses one called sRGB.

The following color chart is from this page. This is for sRGB and can be used to check the colors on your monitor.

Let’s say your monitor needs calibrating. If you do nothing else you should do this. Keep in mind that 90% of the people viewing your photos on the web won’t have their monitors calibrated and will see them differently then you do but in this case it’s all about you because you want to print them.

Here are two free programs that you can use. One is for gamma and one is for color calibration. Gamma refers to luminance and color, well, that’s a no brainer.

Quick Gamma.

Quick Monitor Profile.

You can either stop here or go on because now it really gets complicated. Your monitor is calibrated for internet viewing for people who have also calibrated their monitors and not many bother.

You’ve done this because you want to see your how your photos will look when they’re printed not because you’re on a mission to get everyone in the world to calibrate their monitors. They should but they’ve got more important things to do.

Now, you need your printer to recognize your color profile or it will just print whatever it likes. You will spend hours and hundreds of dollars on ink and drive yourself crazy if you skip this step.

I think it’s time for another cow photo to illustrate this. They do have such expressive faces. And yes, it’s yellow/red toned because it was taken early in the morning and I like it that way. Now that you’ve calibrated your monitor, you should see it like that.

Your camera software may come with a print option and it may work fine. And your printer may have PIM (print image managing) which theoretically recognizes the embedded color profile from your camera.

There is a nifty little program for printing called Qimage you can see here . I use this when I print at home which isn’t often these days.

No, I don’t work for them.

Here is a photo I’ve selected to print, the orange flower that is shown in the thumbnail. This is an older version of Qimage.  Note that I’ve selected my monitor profile but not my printer’s.  There is a reason for that.

I double click on the thumbnail. Here I can make any changes I want before I print. I want to crop it so it fits on the paper. Which brings me to another issue with digital images and printing.

Photo paper is sized for film. Digital has a different ratio aspect. In other words, it doesn’t fit photo paper.

You have two choices. You can leave an uneven white border by making the photo smaller than the paper or you can crop it to fit.

I select a 5×7 print size. I go into my printer set up as well and select that paper size because Qimage communicates with your printer and if you don’t do this you will have a mess.

I click on “crop” and “crop lock” and use the wizard which gives me a box the size of the paper I can move around. When I’m satisfied, I click “apply” and the “done.”

I get this. The little thumbnail shows what will be printed. It now fits the paper.

And please remember this is a much older version of Qimage so the interface you get will be different.

It now looks like this. But you can get the general idea.

Onto the printer. I don’t have any printer profiles.  In the above screen shot, the printer profile is turned off so I would assume most people don’t. Your printer will come with its own set of default profiles. Custom profiles can be obtained but you will have to pay for them.

At this point, you will have to test different settings provided by your printer to see which work. It will probably be under “settings” and “advanced.” With my printer, I have several options to work with and I have by trial and error discovered which work best.

I know you have a printer and you want to use it. And I hope that you will be one of the lucky people who just hit the “print” button and the photo comes out perfectly. Then you can say “So much ado about nothing.”

Let’s say like the majority of people this doesn’t happen. Hang in there. Eventually, you will discover what works.

And there is another option for printing.

I copy the files I want to print to a CD and take them to CVS and use the Kodak kiosk. I have the Adobe RGB embedded in them and it does a fine job.

I am not recommending Kodak over any other printing company because I don’t want to get sued. The CVS is only a mile away. It has Kodak and it works for me.

You can use whatever printing service you want that does a decent job.

You can also upload your photos to photo hosting sites that offer printing options  and order them.

Yes, this costs money but so does ink and paper. The trade off is that you might not get the photo to look exactly the way you want it. That is something you can do with your own printer.

And there’s the problem of leaving Aunt Sally alone when you go out and that never ends well. Plus you’re still in your sweats and it’s raining and you don’t have any errands to run so you don’t want to leave the house anyway.

In reality, once you master printing with your printer, you will probably use both options.

Here’s Karen with the weather. And yes, I’m still in my sweats.

Later. After the holiday. I hope you get many wonderful photos. And have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Digital Cameras are considered one the most perfect gifts and bought & sold in large quantities during Christmas and New Year holiday season. Internet or Web space is jammed with electronic product retailers or wholesalers luring customers with better deals. That means you as a consumer will have plenty of options online that you probably will have offline. You can compare price between different makes & models, among various pixels by a simple click of mouse. This is the key when you are looking for best deals on camera. There are thousands of deals and coupons web site providing you $100-$300 off coupon, free shipping, mail-in-rebates and other interesting offers on different makes and models.

Most people currently use their digital cameras to take personal photos, like pictures of family gatherings and members, or of landscapes and sites visited. These same people are also most likely to use a computer, and they will probably want to upload their digital pictures to their hard drive or a disk in order to save time, money and space. There are very few casual camera users who wish to mess with the hassle of taking photos, unloading the film and dropping it off, then later going to pay for and pick up the pictures. Then they must be placed into an album or scrapbook.

Often people do not pay much attention to the mega pixels feature, one of the most important of a digital camera . Mega pixels decide the clarity of the picture taken with a digital camera. The basic cameras for the children offer 0.3 to 1 mega pixels that result in blurred pictures. Even, the images are not clear if your kids want to take out the printouts or develop the photos at a photo shop. If you want to avoid blurriness from the images, try to pick the device with more than one mega pixels.

It’s comfortable in the hand and in its use. The buttons for the various controls are all well thought out and placed conveniently. All in all it’s one of the best digital cameras on the market and the features are very high end in every department. If you can afford the expense then it’s well worth considering especially if you are an experienced photographer and would know how to take full advantage of its advanced features.

These cameras also come with a wide range of features that make picture taking a breeze. Most come with digital zoom lenses that allow you to zoom in on far away subjects. You’ll also find features that allow you to choose the proper settings for a variety of picture taking opportunities such as dawn/dusk mode, portrait mode, landscape mode, fireworks mode, and others. This gives you the ability to take great pictures in any situation without worrying about choosing the proper settings.

You cannot check this outcome in the viewfinder, but by taking the picture and viewing in the LCD screen you should be able to see which way that you need to adjust to make the picture better. It is worth practising this as it will help when out and about using manual settings.

An impressive 10.0-megapixel resolution won’t miss the finest details of your subject. Images are captured sharp and clear, in vivid colors, even when printed at large sizes. Featuring a 3x optical zoom, this compact performer lets you enjoy a range of picture-taking options, from atmospheric wide-angle scenes to dramatic close-ups.Equipped with evolved 6 scenes SR Auto (Scene Recognition Auto) and Face Detection, scenes and faces can be captured and optimized at its best with this detection functions. Framed scenes are automatically detected and selected into appropriate camera settings: portrait, landscape, night, macro, night portrait, and backlit portrait.

ISO3200 sensitivity ensures blur-free photos, even in low light or with rapidly moving subjects. It also lets you shoot without the flash, for attractive, natural-looking pictures that preserve the atmosphere and colors of the scene.The FinePix J28 is sleek and slim, fitting into your purse or pocket so you can take it with you everywhere. The large, bright LCD display makes it easy to compose great photos. And sharing pictures is a pleasure, thanks to a high-impact 230,000-dot resolution.Featuring explanations for each shooting mode, scene position, and control setting, the easy-to-read icon-based interface is designed to take the guesswork out of selecting camera settings. Up to 100 pictures can be viewed at a time in a 10 x 10 array of micro thumbnails. It’s convenient for smooth and comfortable playback.

Lesson 7.

Photo Editing.

This is very basic photo editing which is all you need for now. Later when you become accomplished you can apply different effects and turn your photos into works of art.

I am using Photoshop for the most part here. Your software will be different but should have these basic functions.

Most photos benefit from editing. They will certainly need to be resized to put on your Facebook page or emailed.

Step number one is to make a copy of your original. You don’t want to work on your original because if you mess it up, well, that’s it for that photo. If you do happen to do this, close it and when it asks you if you want to “save changes?”, scream “NO!” and click on “no.”

There are a lot of photo editing programs to choose from. Some like Photoshop are very expensive. You can start with the one that came with your camera. It will have the basic functions.

The first thing you’re going to want to do is even out the shadows and highlights while maintaining contrast. Or maybe you like it the way it is and you can skip this step. Contrast is the difference between the highlight (bright) parts and the low light (shadows) in a photo. Without contrast, the photo will look washed out.

This will make more sense as I go along here.

Look for something in your editing program called levels. If you don’t have levels, look for brightness/contrast.

Here is a photo of a fawn straight from the camera. You can say “awww.” They are cute until they grow up and get antlers and run in front of you car causing $3000 worth of damage and then get up and run away without giving you their insurance information.

I am going to use levels on this to brighten it up a bit.

This is the dialogue box for levels. It contains a histogram which shows where the light is in the photo. The left hand side is the highlights, the middle part is the mid tones and the left hand side is the shadows. This is actually pretty evenly balanced.

I’m going to mess with it anyway.

I move the right hand arrow(shadows) to the left to make it lighter but when I do this, I lose the contrast and bump up the mid tones (middle part) too much so I move the left hand slider (highlights) to the right until I think it looks balanced.

I end up with this.

Notice not only is it brighter, the colors pop more too.

You will just have to experiment with using levels until you get what you want. I don’t know what your personal aesthetic is and everybody’s is different.

If you don’t have levels, you can use brightness/contrast. That’s pretty much self explanatory. It doesn’t work as well as levels but it will do.

Now that I’ve got the photo to where I want it I might want to change the color a little. Or not. I think this photo is a little too red.

For this you will need to use hue/saturation.

With some photos you want to increase the color saturation. With others you want to decrease it. You use the hue to change the overall color of the photo. I will show you that later in case you want to make Aunt Sally purple.

I end up with this.

Ok, I liked it better over saturated but that’s me.

This is what hue does. I’ve really ramped this up because I know deep down inside you will want to do this too because you saved those psychedelic day glo posters from the 70’s and even if they’re in a closet, you still like them.

So get out your Jimi Hendrix album and listen to “Purple Haze” now.

Ramped up version.

Here is an example of just a minor change which makes the grass greener but also effects the color of the fawn so it’s a trade off.

Now, how to crop a photo because sometimes you end up with parts that you don’t want.  With the new 10mp and 12 mp cameras, cropping can still give you a printable image. You don’t want to be heavy handed so crop as little as possible.

In this photo, you can see a little bit of pavement at the bottom and some weird little flowers sticking out on the left. I am going to crop them out.

Your crop box will look something like this. Try to maintain the same ratio as the original photo, i.e., crop the same amounts from both sides.

You  use your mouse to drag the little square boxes to highlight the part you are saving. The part that is going to be cut off will be outside the square.

This will also act as the digital zoom I told you to turn off in your camera and never use although you probably ignored me and used it anyway.

Now you will need to resize your photo. I guarantee that in your editing software it is called “resize.” Duplicate your image because you are going to want a copy of the full size edited photo too. I will explain why later.

If there is an option to “maintain ratio aspect” click on it. Select 800 pixels as the widest part. Let the program select the other side.

After resizing  you will need to sharpen your image because it will be too soft. I don’t know why. It just works that way.

Your software will either have a dialogue box for this and I can’t help you there or it will have a default setting which hopefully works really good or you can tweak it.  You will just have to play with it.

Unsharpened.

Sharpened and the finished photo. You can see how sharpening brings out the details.

Save the file as the highest setting JPG you have.

I also promised to tell you how to adjust white balance (WB) for those photos taken inside that are red toned from incandescent light.

You can use hue/saturation or your software may have a “color balance” option.

I am using the software that came with my Olympus C5050Z for this. It’s a bare bones editing program.

These are my two chihauhaus who hate the camera but love Aunt Sally. Go figure.

The original was too red from one of the lamps that has survived Aunt Sally’s binges. Hey, you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family.

I am using the color balance option which has red, green and blue (RGB) because these are your basic photo colors. There are actually more but this is all this program has.

There’s CMYK which is what is used for printing and is cyan, magenta, yellow and black. I don’t know why black is K. Maybe because if it was B you would get it confused with RGB  and think it’s blue.There are people who actually think this makes it simpler.

More about printing later.

Red Dogs

Now, I’m going to tweak the color. I just moved the sliders this way and that until I got a pleasing result. Again to me. Everybody’s different.

Notice the change in the little preview window. It won’t show on the full screen until I hit apply. That way if you want, you could move those sliders for 20 minutes but if Aunt Sally’s around she’ll get bored with watching you and tell you to get a life.

And this is the final result after I hit “Apply.” Duplicate your photo, resize, sharpen and you can email it to everyone in your address book.

A note for printing. Save a copy of your edited photo  as a full size TIFF file. The JPG files are for the internet. You want a full resolution file for printing.

In fact you might want to get organized and make folders like “original” for the original, “edited” for the full size edited photos for printing and “web” for the smaller JPGs. You can call them what you want but I learned the hard way it’s a lot easier to find what you need for what if you do this.

Here’s Karen with the weather. What can I say? There are a lot of deer here.

Later.