Give a child a camera and you have given them a time machine which will create wonders and may, at some time in the future, be considered family treasures. Expect that, at first, film will just be used quickly in order to see the pictures, but be patient, this will soon be over and selectivity will begin to be shown.
You will undoubtedly be treated to some early shots of grandma as a headless wonder, but these will also be accompanied by some unexpected jewels. As the young photographer learns more about his or her new hobby and why grandma's head was not in the picture, skills will begin to develop and you will start to see a legend of the world through the eyes of a six year old, or whatever age your young photographer is, begin to emerge.
Expect to see more pictures of the family pet than you will see of any other member of the family. Hey, don't let it get to you! The kid really doesn't love the family dog more than he or she loves you, I'm sure of it.
Buy the young photographer an album and fill it with these pictures. Don't forget to put the date on the back. You might also want to keep a written journal of your own to include with these picture when special occasions are observed and are photographically recorded for all posterity.
You may want to consider buying or borrowing from the library a book or books on photography for children and share it or them with the young photographer. If the book or books is/are written for someone older, you can simplify it.
Helping your child to set up a scene with toys can make for good shots also. Let him or her see how toy trucks and cars can be set up and photographed in such a way that they look like their full sized counterparts.
Is there a younger sibling in the family? Read up on taking pictures of babies and small children, then share the tips that you have learned with your young photographer. Such things as putting a piece of scotch tape on a little one's finger for example can lead to some fantastic facial expressions, as he or she tries to figure out what has happened and how to get rid of that thing. Armed with a camera, encouragement and a little bit of knowledge, your young photographer may be the one to get THAT picture, making it doubly a family treasure.
Getting a child interested in photography, is giving them a gift that may well last them a lifetime. Source: Free Articles by iwilliam99
Digital Photography Basics - 7 Tips to Get the Most of Your Digital Camera by Vince Terry
1. What camera to buy? In general you'll want a digital camera that has at least 4 mega pixel resolution and a 3x optical zoom. You can go digital SLR camera if you budget allows it. With a digital SLR camera you'll have more flexibility as you can change the lens to suit the type of photography you want to take. For landscapes you'll use a wide-angle and for portraits you'll prefer a telephoto lens. Four mega-pixel resolution is now a minimum requirement if you would like to submit your photos to microstock photography site for sale.
2. Prefer optical zoom to digital zoom. Optical zoom only uses the capacity of the actual optics in the lens to capture the scene of your photos. Digital zoom will "create" extra pixels based on existing ones to fill and enlarge your photos. Your photos will lose in quality when digital zoom is used.
3. Use appropriate Scene Modes. Most of today's compact cameras have what is called "Scene Modes". Each Scene Mode corresponds to a type of photography like portrait, landscape, sport. It's better to use the scene mode accordingly to the kind of photos you want to take. If you take portrait shots then set the camera on portrait mode. In this mode the camera will use a larger aperture. As a result your subject will be in focus and standout from a blur background. If you take photos of children in movement then prefer sport mode whereby the camera will use higher shutter speed so that the subject will be sharp on the photo.
4. Use a tripod. I find that compact cameras tend to use a pretty low shutter speed. Therefore your photos might be a bit out of focus or blurry because of handshake movements while the photo is taken. Using a tripod will ensure you get perfect handshake-free shots. With a tripod you'll be able to experiment night-shot photos as well.
5. Adjust White Balance. If your camera allows you to change the white balance setting then you would want to take advantage of that. As an example setting white balance on "cloudy" on a cloudy day will produce warmer tone pictures.
6. Back-fill or fill-in flash. Don't forget to use the embedded flash when you take photos of scene that has strong contrast, e.g. outdoor scenes around midday on a sunny day. As a rule of thumb try to have the sun in your back when you take a picture rather than in front of you.
7. Prefer natural light. Plan to take your photos when there is not too strong contrast. Shooting early in the morning or around end of the afternoon and you'll have a softer light situation to deal with than at midday.
Vince Terry is a passionate freelance photographer. Digital Photography Basics is one of many articles he has written on Digital Photography. You might be interested to read more at http://EarnFromYourPhotos.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Terry
2. Prefer optical zoom to digital zoom. Optical zoom only uses the capacity of the actual optics in the lens to capture the scene of your photos. Digital zoom will "create" extra pixels based on existing ones to fill and enlarge your photos. Your photos will lose in quality when digital zoom is used.
3. Use appropriate Scene Modes. Most of today's compact cameras have what is called "Scene Modes". Each Scene Mode corresponds to a type of photography like portrait, landscape, sport. It's better to use the scene mode accordingly to the kind of photos you want to take. If you take portrait shots then set the camera on portrait mode. In this mode the camera will use a larger aperture. As a result your subject will be in focus and standout from a blur background. If you take photos of children in movement then prefer sport mode whereby the camera will use higher shutter speed so that the subject will be sharp on the photo.
4. Use a tripod. I find that compact cameras tend to use a pretty low shutter speed. Therefore your photos might be a bit out of focus or blurry because of handshake movements while the photo is taken. Using a tripod will ensure you get perfect handshake-free shots. With a tripod you'll be able to experiment night-shot photos as well.
5. Adjust White Balance. If your camera allows you to change the white balance setting then you would want to take advantage of that. As an example setting white balance on "cloudy" on a cloudy day will produce warmer tone pictures.
6. Back-fill or fill-in flash. Don't forget to use the embedded flash when you take photos of scene that has strong contrast, e.g. outdoor scenes around midday on a sunny day. As a rule of thumb try to have the sun in your back when you take a picture rather than in front of you.
7. Prefer natural light. Plan to take your photos when there is not too strong contrast. Shooting early in the morning or around end of the afternoon and you'll have a softer light situation to deal with than at midday.
Vince Terry is a passionate freelance photographer. Digital Photography Basics is one of many articles he has written on Digital Photography. You might be interested to read more at http://EarnFromYourPhotos.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vince_Terry
The Power of Black and White by Patrick Simons
In sterile, dictionary language, photography might be defined as, "the process, of recording visual images", or words to that effect. I didn't actually look up the definition, but you get the idea. In any event, rigid definitions don't exist when you're talking about art.
Which is the superior medium, color or black and white, film or digital are subjective questions, without definative answers. What works in one situation may fail miserably in another. Sporting events are one example of a situation when color is superior. Landscapes and portrature can go either way. A black and white landscape can save a picture from being overwhelmed by excessive color. Everything comes down to application and execution.
Why Black and White?
Great novel's have a way of expressing profound ideas in ways that go beyond mere recitation of fact. One need only think of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", or Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Just as great ideas are sometimes most powerfully expressed through fiction, the best black and white photography speaks to deeper truth. Black and white allows the photographer as artist to reveal a world invisible to the naked eye. In black and white, abstract shapes, contrast, and recurring patterns have a psychological impact and dignity often unrealized in color. When the beauty of a common place item comes through in a photograph, the photograph has become art.
Photography began as black and white, or more specifically monochrome. Not all early images were truly black and white. Many had a brownish tint (sepia), and others even had hints of blue when the cyanotype process was employed.
If a relatively young art form can be said to have a 'classical' period, it would probably be that time when monochrome was the only option. The fist photographs to be considered art were all black and white. I suspect this may have let to psychological expectations as to what a classic photograph should look like. Achieving a timeless look has much to do with why many masters of photography continue to work in this medium. From a purely technical standpoint, black and white prints simply last longer. Even the very best color prints degrade over time.
For reason's I cannot explain, some things simply look better in black and white. My personal rule when retaining photographs is......"If in doubt, throw it out". The last thing I do before deleting a picture, is converting it to black and white. Most of them still get thrown out, however, just often enough to keep me doing it, I'm stunned by what I see in black and white. A ho-hum color picture suddenly possesses that indefinable something that makes it a keeper. I've thought long and hard as to why this should be so. I don't have any answers.
I should point out, that most of my work is in color. I love color, and it will probably always be my primary medium. There are times, however, when black and white stands out. If you've ever tried doing serious landscape photography, you know one of the most important considerations is getting the sky right. The best composition in the world won't compensate for a white sky, something that's caused many of my photos have hit the circular file. Setting the exposure meter against the sky can go a long ways towards preventing this problem, but the technique isn't foolproof. On an overcast day metering against the sky can result in other features being too dark.
This is less of a problem with digital photography, especially when shooting in the RAW format, but it can be serious issue with film. Black and white offers a way around this difficulty. If your digital camera has the option of shooting in black and white, by all means use it. Shooting in the black and white mode seems to add a depth and quality lacking when removing color on the computer. An even worse time to set the meter against the sky is midday in summer as that's the time wave lengths of light are at their most constricted. Every outdoor photographer knows the best times are those hours just after sunrise, and just before sunset. Unfortunately, we don't always enjoy the luxury of hanging around until the conditions are perfect.
The next time you're faced with this situation, try black and white with a red filter. Ansel Adams used this technique, and if Ansel did it, it should be good enough for anybody. The red filter turns that whitish midday sky to a dark, lovely grey in black and white. The darker the red filter, the darker the sky. In black and white the sky will look as if it had been a deep dark blue, and no one will be the wiser. Some big, puffy cumulus clouds will make it even better. If you have the opportunity to look at a collection of Ansel Adams photos, pay attention to how he often used clouds to great effect.
Digital photography has taken the black and white medium to unprecedented heights. Today's high end digital camera's and powerful computer software, give the modern photographic artist control the masters of old never dreamed of.
To see some of my black and white work, please visit http://www.highplainsphotosandframes.com
Patrick Simons, photographer, philisopher, seeker and a wanderer.
http://www.highplainsphotosandframes.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Simons
Which is the superior medium, color or black and white, film or digital are subjective questions, without definative answers. What works in one situation may fail miserably in another. Sporting events are one example of a situation when color is superior. Landscapes and portrature can go either way. A black and white landscape can save a picture from being overwhelmed by excessive color. Everything comes down to application and execution.
Why Black and White?
Great novel's have a way of expressing profound ideas in ways that go beyond mere recitation of fact. One need only think of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", or Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Just as great ideas are sometimes most powerfully expressed through fiction, the best black and white photography speaks to deeper truth. Black and white allows the photographer as artist to reveal a world invisible to the naked eye. In black and white, abstract shapes, contrast, and recurring patterns have a psychological impact and dignity often unrealized in color. When the beauty of a common place item comes through in a photograph, the photograph has become art.
Photography began as black and white, or more specifically monochrome. Not all early images were truly black and white. Many had a brownish tint (sepia), and others even had hints of blue when the cyanotype process was employed.
If a relatively young art form can be said to have a 'classical' period, it would probably be that time when monochrome was the only option. The fist photographs to be considered art were all black and white. I suspect this may have let to psychological expectations as to what a classic photograph should look like. Achieving a timeless look has much to do with why many masters of photography continue to work in this medium. From a purely technical standpoint, black and white prints simply last longer. Even the very best color prints degrade over time.
For reason's I cannot explain, some things simply look better in black and white. My personal rule when retaining photographs is......"If in doubt, throw it out". The last thing I do before deleting a picture, is converting it to black and white. Most of them still get thrown out, however, just often enough to keep me doing it, I'm stunned by what I see in black and white. A ho-hum color picture suddenly possesses that indefinable something that makes it a keeper. I've thought long and hard as to why this should be so. I don't have any answers.
I should point out, that most of my work is in color. I love color, and it will probably always be my primary medium. There are times, however, when black and white stands out. If you've ever tried doing serious landscape photography, you know one of the most important considerations is getting the sky right. The best composition in the world won't compensate for a white sky, something that's caused many of my photos have hit the circular file. Setting the exposure meter against the sky can go a long ways towards preventing this problem, but the technique isn't foolproof. On an overcast day metering against the sky can result in other features being too dark.
This is less of a problem with digital photography, especially when shooting in the RAW format, but it can be serious issue with film. Black and white offers a way around this difficulty. If your digital camera has the option of shooting in black and white, by all means use it. Shooting in the black and white mode seems to add a depth and quality lacking when removing color on the computer. An even worse time to set the meter against the sky is midday in summer as that's the time wave lengths of light are at their most constricted. Every outdoor photographer knows the best times are those hours just after sunrise, and just before sunset. Unfortunately, we don't always enjoy the luxury of hanging around until the conditions are perfect.
The next time you're faced with this situation, try black and white with a red filter. Ansel Adams used this technique, and if Ansel did it, it should be good enough for anybody. The red filter turns that whitish midday sky to a dark, lovely grey in black and white. The darker the red filter, the darker the sky. In black and white the sky will look as if it had been a deep dark blue, and no one will be the wiser. Some big, puffy cumulus clouds will make it even better. If you have the opportunity to look at a collection of Ansel Adams photos, pay attention to how he often used clouds to great effect.
Digital photography has taken the black and white medium to unprecedented heights. Today's high end digital camera's and powerful computer software, give the modern photographic artist control the masters of old never dreamed of.
To see some of my black and white work, please visit http://www.highplainsphotosandframes.com
Patrick Simons, photographer, philisopher, seeker and a wanderer.
http://www.highplainsphotosandframes.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_Simons
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