What is digital photography?

Digital photography is a great new way to capture, preserve, and share your memories. Digital cameras work just like traditional film cameras, but with a few key differences.

Like a film camera, they use a lens and a shutter. But instead of recording the picture onto film, the images are captured with an electronic image sensor that converts the image instantly to a digital file, which is saved within the camera or on a removable memory card.

A key feature of digital photography is that the image you shoot can be viewed on a small screen on the back of the camera immediately, or on your home computer at a later time. Your photographs can then be printed at home, at retail outlet in your high street, or through an online photofinishing service, such as Bonusprint, Truprint, Jessops, Kodakgallery, Foto.com, Mypixmania etc..  
Your images can also be instantly shared via e-mails, on a Web site, or in an online photo album for friends and family to see.

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What equipment do I need to get the most out of digital photography?

Digital photography begins with a digital camera and most cameras include a removable memory device that stores the pictures you've taken. The web is a great place to find the best deal on digital cameras but bear in mind the back up arrangements that may be required if the camera develops a fault! You may therefore wish to purchase your camera in the high street for a little more!

Don't have a home computer? Then simply take the memory device to a retail photofinisher with a digital photo kiosk (such as Sainsbury’s, Boot’s, Tesco & Jessops) who will print out your images out at a reasonable cost.

If you do use a home computer, you can enjoy the additional benefits of digital pictures. Start by downloading your pictures for storing and sharing. In addition, you may want to have a colour, image-quality printer on hand to make prints of your pictures.

There are countless other accessories you can use to enhance your digital photography experience, including advanced software to manipulate your pictures. I would recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 as good software for most beginners. You can purchase this plus similar software, and additional memory for your camera from any pcworld stores.

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Tips and Techniques for taking better Photographs.

Photographs are a great way to share your experiences with family, and friends. Here are a few suggestions to help you capture these memories that you will treasure for years to come. ( My photo tips are specific to digital cameras, but can often apply to traditional film cameras as well)

Plan your photos ahead. Make sure your camera is in good working order before you go out, and keep it in a water and shock - resistant case if possible. Purchase an additional rechargeable battery when you buy your camera, and don’t forget the charger and relevant cords. Make sure your digital camera has enough memory. Packing an extra memory card in your bag is a wise move, as there is nothing worse than running out of space for photos when your walking across the moors or down on the beach etc. It may be tempting to lower the resolution so you can store more photos, but you will regret this later as it could result in poorer quality photo prints, or you will be limited to smaller size prints. Set your camera at its highest quality JPEG setting and get that extra memory card if you have to. You will appreciate this when you’re viewing and printing your photographs after your trip.

Take lots and lots of photographs. With a digital camera you can always erase the photos you don’t want. Take pictures of anything you find interesting and try to focus on some of the details such as an attractive or a colourful object within the picture, not just panoramic scenes or major landmarks. Try different lens sizes if your camera is fitted with an optical or digital zoom lens. Let your photos tell a story by creating a visual diary of your trip. Include street scenes, interesting signs, people you see along the way. For variety take both vertical and horizontal photos.

Close up Photography. When taking photographs of people, don’t make the mistake of standing too far away. You want to be able to recognize the people in your photos. Get close enough so you can see the expressions on your subject(s) face. Zoom in on individuals or capture them from the waist up. Holiday photos are often more interesting when you can catch people at candid un-posed moments. In posed photos try to incorporate some of the background into your shot. Try snapping from interesting angles rather than simply head-on and use your built-in camera flash. “Fill” or “forced” flash is a very helpful technique, particularly when photographing people. Brilliant sunlight often makes people's faces look harsh, casting dark shadows under the eyes and accentuating wrinkles. The daytime fill-in flash will soften the lighting and make the images more flattering. Your family and friends in the photos will thank you!

Edit your digital photos. When you get home you can edit, crop and enhance your favourite pictures using photo-editing software such as Adobe Photo shop Elements. One technique for adding drama to your photo images is by turning some of your colour photos into black and white, then upload all your images to an online photo printing service or drop them into your local retail photofinishing shop for fast and convenient size prints. You can edit your best snaps using your photo editing software to create a photo calendar, photo greeting cards, web albums and other photo gifts. You can email your favourite(s) to family and friends within seconds from your home computer.

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Types of Digital Cameras.

Point and shoot cameras. For the past few decades, serious photographers have mainly been using traditional 35mm SLR cameras. But these large and heavy cameras with a selection of lenses are inconvenient to say the least, so most serious photographers have always dropped a point and shoot camera in their shirt pocket. The photos from these small cameras may not be quite as good (and that is debatable), but they go anywhere and pictures that would otherwise be missed are captured. Point and shoot cameras have earned their credit and are welcome additions to even the most professional photographer's camera collection.
Why this discussion on point and shoot cameras? It's because in the new digital photography age they are not only very popular, they are the least expensive digital cameras. These cameras are fully automatic and usually don't provide you with a lot of creative control - that's why they are called "point and shoot." With resolutions up to 3 or 5 million pixels, you can get great prints up to 
8" x 10" or so using the highest resolution setting on your camera. 

Prosumer cameras. Positioned just above the point and shoot cameras is a family of cameras with 6 to 8 million pixels or so. Generally, the higher resolution is combined with more advanced features such as through-the-lens (TTL) focusing and creative controls. This is one of the fastest growing categories of cameras because these cameras appeal to serious photographers who like to have creative control of their camera's settings and make prints up to about 12" x 15" easily using the highest resolution setting on the camera.

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Why does Film come in different Speeds 
and how can I use them effectively.

You're standing in front of a shop display of more film that you've ever seen before. All you want to do is take some great family photos but you don't know where to start and what to buy. Here's a short guide to help you get started.

Film speed is a number that represents the film's sensitively to light. The higher the number the more sensitive to light, in that the less light is needed to take a well exposed photo. The number is also an indicator of the detail you will receive from the negative. The higher the number the more likely that you'll see a graininess to the print when enlarged. Film speeds go from 25 to 1600 ASA, however there are specials out side this range. The original ASA  film speed number (American Standards Association) came from work by Kodak as the practical measurement of film speeds in the 1940s.

25 to 100 ASA is best for still life and portrait work, in studio conditions where the lighting is controlled. This is not the film for family shots indoors even with a camera mounted flash. You'd really need a complete lighting set up to use this film effectively. 
200 ASA speed film is very good for outdoor sunny conditions when you're trying to get a shot of a beautiful landscape. It offers excellent detail and colour saturation.

400 ASA is considered the all-purpose film. Most films touted as all subject or general purpose are really 400 ASA speed film. When in doubt use 400 speed film. Although very sensitive to light you may still be using your camera mounted flash in room lighting conditions. Also good for average outdoor conditions, and will give you some flexibility in darker conditions and where you are trying to capture a moving subject.

800 to 1200 ASA is made for capturing fast moving subjects in all types of lighting situations. This is the film you require if you want to 'freeze frame' the action of a sport games, aircraft or fast moving wildlife and vehicles.

1600 ASA. This film is for super high speed shots or lowlight (night) photography. Unless you are shooting a fast car, boat race or take photographs at night you probably won't need this film. When used to capture movement a lot of film grain is notable in the photograph and sometimes contrast is a problem with back-lighting. Don't use this for nature and landscape images the lack of detail will be obvious in enlargements.

Most of the time you'll only need a 200 or 400 ASA speed film for basic snapshots. But it doesn't hurt to use the other speeds for special occasions, you'll notice a difference.

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Should I buy a Prime lens or a Zoom lens?

If you had bought a single lens reflex (SLR) camera a few years ago and asked for a lens to go with it, you would have been handed a 50mm standard camera lens. It is still very much a camera lens that every photographer should have. The optical quality of a good 50mm is superb and they offer excellent value for money as they are cheaper in comparison with long lenses and zoom lens. They are small and light to carry around and the fact that they have a 'fast' maximum aperture means that they handle low light situations better than their zoom or long lens counterparts. The other point worth noting about a 50mm lens is that in terms of focusing it sees objects in a way that is very similar to the human eye.

Today the standard camera lens to be sold with a SLR seems to be a 28-80mm zoom lens. The benefits are obvious as it can be considered as three prime lenses in one (Wide angle - standard - small telephoto). I can feel the traditionalists wince with that one! Not only does that make you budget go further, but there is less to carry and within reason you are always ready for your next shot. The fact is that the quality of zoom lenses in particular has improved dramatically over the past decade. One point that the traditionalists make that is worth taking note of is that a zoom lens can make you less likely to make the most of your camera. Well this is debateable! Always get in as close to your subject as possible rather than letting the zoom do all the work.

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How to take Landscape photographs.

The most important rule of all - Protect your camera! 

Without it you will not be able to take pictures. Wet weather and dust is the natural enemy of all cameras. Keep your camera in a sealable plastic bag and clean your hands before picking it up. When taking photographs in the rain protect your camera using an umbrella or a waterproof cover. Before taking your first shot, look around and ask yourself what it is that makes this place stand out for you. By identifying this element, you can make that the focal point of your composition. If your eyes are drawn by this, then others’ eyes will be too. 

It is essential that you steady your camera when taking landscapes. A small inexpensive tripod would be an invaluable gadget to have in your camera kit. The most common cause of poor definition is camera shake. With landscapes there is no hurry. If you do not own a tripod take a deep breath, hold your position, then squeeze the shutter gently.

Check that the horizon is level in your viewfinder. However, beware when putting the horizon line in the middle of the frame will cut your photograph in two. Remember the “rule of thirds” and use it often. This rule has you form an imaginary '9 square' grid in your view finder. When you do this, position your focal point on a spot where two of these lines intersect. It has been found that people’s eyes will naturally be drawn to objects in that position. 

If possible take your pictures early in the morning or late evening, as this will give breathtaking long shadows and warm colours. This is an effect the professional photographers use very successfully. You can also use selective colour filters to further enhance the scene.

Include something of interesting the first 5 meters  of foreground. Such as  lines that you can use to draw attention to your focal point? Trees, stone formations, a path of sunlight or even a low fence. All can draw a person’s eyes toward your subject. Professional photographers suggest keeping the horizon line, if visible in your shot, and place in a horizontal position. Any other angle will appear unnatural and draw the viewer to that instead of your focal point. Interesting cloud formations can turn a bland picture into a spectacular one, especially at dawn or sunset. Shooting across water, lakes and along rivers make excellent subjects for landscape photography. Compose your shot in such a way that the sky and ground flow gently into one another. Harsh contrasts can or may distract you away from the main subject.  This will put perspective into your picture. Don’t forget you can align your camera either horizontally or vertically to position you picture into the required format.

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What is Shutter Lag?

Shutter lag is the delay time between pressing the shutter button on your digital camera and the interval you wait until the photograph is actually taken. Most of this delay time is taken up by the camera focusing on the subject, exposure calculation and the electromechanical shutter action.

We all hate this when it happens. You spot a great photo opportunity and turn on your digital camera. But by the time it's ready to shoot, the moment has passed, lost forever. Or worse, it is something that you can never capture again, as can so often happen when taking pictures of your children. With modern digital SLR cameras, an advanced closed-loop control circuit allows a fast estimate of appropriate focus distance, without having to slowly move the lens back and forth. Hence, the picture capture time is greatly improved and almost instant. 

Slow start-up and shutter lag plague many compact digital cameras. Although camera makers improve responsiveness with each new model, most digital cameras are slower to respond than their earlier film counterparts.

The Latest digicam designs have reduced this problem since the early digital cameras. This problem is normally overcome when half depressing the shutter button whilst composing the shot, this will focus lock and preset the shutter speed on most models thus making the 'lag' virtually zero when you take the picture.

There are a couple of tips that can help to decrease 'shutter lag'. Anticipate the moment or track the action of your subject. Use "continuous auto focus" mode, lock focus and then press the button fully down. Works on most cameras.
You can also setup pre-focus if your camera is designed to do so. Focus on an object that is at the same distance where the subject will be when you require to take the picture, lock focus and then wait for the subject to come into the view area that you have set. Finally, today's non-SLR (compact) cameras are much faster than those of a few years ago, to the point where for many photo applications (but not all) shutter lag is no longer an issue. 

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Is digital Photography expensive?

Up until now, one reason some people have shied away from digital photography is because of the overall cost. No more. Many full-featured digital cameras are priced very competitively with traditional point-and-shoot 35mm film cameras. Also as the price drops down on digital cameras, the quality of the pictures they produce continues to rise.

In the long run digital cameras can be more cost-effective than traditional film photography. There is no film to buy or processing cost, and digital printing can be inexpensive if you don't print the photographs on your home computer. This is a very important point when taking into consideration the cost of the ink cartridges, special photo quality paper, but excluding the purchase of a photo quality Printer which could cost between £100 - £250. As an example the total cost for you to print  200 - 6"x 4" size pictures on your home computer would be in the region of £55 for the consumables alone.  

Taking the same example as above, the total cost for a quality gloss/matt printing service including return postage to your home address from say 'Bonusprint' for the same 200 - 6"x 4" size pictures would cost you around £15.50p a saving of £39.50. You may wish to shop around and therefore you will properly find and even better deal. 
Take my advice and use one of the many retail outlets in your high street or shopping centre, or through an online photofinishing service such as Bonusprint, Truprint, Jessops, Kodakgallery, Foto.com, Mypixmania etc, its worth the effort... 

Also after selecting the pictures you require on your camera or home computer you don't have to pay for prints you don't want, and there's no extra cost to share your pictures by e-mail or over the Internet.

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Can I convert my old film pictures/slides to digital ones?

Yes with a digital scanner connected to your home computer, you can take your film negatives/prints or slides and make digital copies of them. These digital copies are just like pictures taken with a digital camera that you can share, manipulate, show and organize in the same way. With a scanner and your digital camera, you can keep all your memories, old and new, together on your home computer or any removable data storage devices such as CD-ROMs / DVDs or the new USB Portable Data Storage. 

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How many pictures will my digital camera take? 

That depends on the size of the removable memory device and the quality and resolution you have chosen to shoot your picture at. Before you take a picture you can choose the level of quality and resolution. The higher the quality and resolution, the more memory will be use up. As a general rule pictures with large file sizes will look better, but they will take longer to e-mail or view on the Internet.

Removable memory devices are available in a wide variety of sizes, from just a few megabytes up to a more than a gigabyte (1000 megabytes). The advantage of using a large memory device or having several memory devices on hand is that you can keep on shooting; you don't have to stop to download the pictures to your computer to save them. Also, because you can delete the pictures you don't want within the camera on location, you should have plenty of memory left after you have saved the best ones. 

The majority of point & shoot digital cameras come with a  standard 32mb size of Memory Card included. By today's standards this is a small amount of memory and will limit the number of pictures that you will be able to take. Check with your camera retailer the size of the memory card supplied  with the camera, and how many pictures you will be able to take using the highest quality and resolution? If this is not enough for you ask the retailer for a larger memory card compatible with the camera you are buying. Larger memory cards come in the following sizes: 64 megabytes which is twice the size of the standard 32 megabyte and will you give you approximately twice as many Photographs. Next in line is the 128 megabyte size card, then a 256 a 512 and so on, each doubling the previous quantity of photographs that you will be able to take. 

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What digital photo manipulation software will give me a good result at a reasonable cost?

I would suggest for both quality and low cost for anyone starting out to achieve photo manipulation  should take a look at the following software packages.
 
Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Powerful yet easy-to-use image editing software for print, e-mail, and on the Web. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 software offers the perfect combination of power and simplicity so you can do more with your photos. From quick corrections to creative editing, you can easily achieve high-quality results. Whether you use a digital camera or scan traditional photos/slides, Photoshop Elements makes digital imaging a must. If money will allow  and you require the best go for the advanced version - Adobe Photoshop CS3.

PaintShop Pro X1 for Windows 2000,  XP and Vista. Paint Shop Pro offers the easiest, most affordable way to achieve professional results! Don’t waste your time with high-end professional products that cost a fortune and take a lifetime to learn. And don’t settle for slow, cookie-cutter programs that tie you to templates. Get Paint Shop Pro X1. Retouch, repair, and edit photos with easy-to-use, high- quality, automatic photo enhancement features Create and optimize Web graphics with built- in Web tools and artistic drawing and text tools Design cool animations with Coral Animation Shop 3 included free Easily add custom images to your home and business graphics projects Save time with productivity tools: grids, guides, alignment, and grouping Expand your creativity with over 100 special effects. The choice is yours!

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How can I take a good Photograph of people?

Of the many subjects you pick to photograph, people reliably make the best photographs. Nothing is more fascinating to us than other people. A good 'people' photograph shows character, emotion and a connection for the viewer. Here are some tips to help you take great shots of the people in your life.

The biggest mistake many photographers make is to try to shoot a person's whole body, head to toe. Don't attempt this, unless clothes are important, such as a uniform or fashion pictures.

Instead, focus on the face. The eyes and mouth are the most important features, so start there and 'zoom-out' until you have just enough to represent the individual(s). Crop tightly, and don't be afraid to overflow the frame with the person's face.

A standard lighting technique is to position yourself so the sun/photo lamp is behind you and to one side. This arrangement will shine light on the subject's face, while the slight angle will produce shadows to illuminate facial form. A better approach is to put your subject in a shady area with a shadowed background. Unlike the human eye, photographic film/digital sensor can't easily handle bright areas and dark shadows, as in direct sunlight, so use the shade for a narrow tonal range. Overcast days are usually best for portraits. Experiment with a simple reflector sheet/board made of white or shiny surface to reflect angled light onto your subject.
 
Use ('fill-in-flash' or 'daylight flash') to add light to the face to fill in shadow areas. If your flash gun has a 'Bounce flash facility', bounce the flash light off an adjacent wall or ceiling. However, make sure that the wall/ceiling is of a neutral colour otherwise you may introduce a colour cast onto the subjects face.    

Use a long lens such as an 80mm or 135mm - I call this the 'people' lens. A wide-angle distorts the face, although it can be used effectively for groups and sometimes press photography. Find a simple, mid-toned background and use a wide aperture to throw it out of focus. I like to use an uncluttered natural background such as a wall and an 80mm lens set to it's widest aperture i.e. f2.8. Centre the eyes in the camera frame, not necessarily the head, to provide balance in the final picture. When photographing children crouch down so that you're shooting at their eye-level, this will prevent vertical distortion.

Try to set-up your camera ahead of time rather than making people wait around. Help relax your subjects by engaging them in light conversation. Get them to laugh or smile as naturally as possible. Some people will not be able to do this naturally, so don't force them to do so as this will make them more conscious. Leave them to do their natural pose, even if this is 'serious looking' as this will provide a better photograph in the long run. Finally you may wish to put yourself in the shot, that's where your tripod, remote-fob or self-timer comes in...

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Corrupt memory card when I use my camera: Card? Camera? or Computer fault?

There are a number of reasons why your digital memory card may be corrupted. First let's note the warning signs:
(1)  Your camera screen displayed information to say that the card is corrupted and you are unable to see any pictures!
(2)  You have downloaded your pictures to a computer and deleted the images but when you try to take new photographs with your camera the card is showing corrupted!
(3)  You have used your digital memory card in another camera or device and after putting it back into your camera it is corrupted!
(4)  And finally, I can't access the photographs on my memory card!

The above symptoms are often the fault of using several different devices to read and write to your card, i.e. your camera, your computer, your notebook and even putting your memory card into a friends camera to transfer/copy their pictures to yours. 
I've seen a lot of incidents where camera memory cards become victims of the 'corrupt message' sign, where people cannot format the card anymore or use it in their camera. Sometimes one can format a corrupt card on a computer and then make it readable in the camera again after using the correct  file allocation table (FAT) code, but there are a number of Do's & Don'ts when you connect your camera to a computer!

Connecting your camera or card reader to a computer.
If possible always connect your camera or card reader to the computer with the supplied lead and use the product software to up-load your images to your computer hard drive. Once your computer is connected to the camera information is being passed forward/backwards between the two devices as your images are up-loaded.
 
Warning.. never disconnect any leads or switch either the camera/computer off when the pictures are being transferred. This will disrupt the flow of data and could corrupt your memory card as noted above. 

Point two. The best and safest practice is to up-load your pictures into a file on your computer hard drive, then close the product software window that you used to up-load your images to your computer. When that is complete and you are certain that no data is passing between the camera/computer - switch off the camera if still running, then disconnect the leads. 

Point three. I strongly advise that you never try to do any 'photo manipulation' direct to the images on your camera via the computer, as this is a prime suspect of memory card corruption. Many instances have occurred after an image had been altered with Adobe Photoshop/ PaintShop Pro and saved direct to the camera card via the computer. Copy and Paste between a camera/computer is a similar practice and should be avoided. So what do we do.. 
Transfer your images to your computer as recommended above. Disconnect  the camera as advised then if possible burn these 'Original' images onto a CD for safe keeping. You may well mess up a picture in Adobe Photoshop/ PaintShop Pro during manipulation, then at least you can make a new copy to work on from the originals saved on the CD. When you have completed all your photo manipulation, copy your images onto a second CD so you can take them to a retail photofinisher for printing, or send your completed images off to one of the many online photofinishing service via the web direct from the saved picture files on your computer.     

I've seen many people post advice on the web to 'always' format the memory cards in your camera before you use it, which is what I would recommend - Every 3rd time I use it after uploading/deleting or so, I quickly format and be done with it.  I've worked with large CF cards and  Microdrive storage device up to 2 Gb as well, these too can be easily formatted in the same way - However, remember to fully re-charge your camera battery before using your camera again, as you will use a considerable amount of battery life when up-loading, deleting, and finally formatting the memory card.

Point four. There may be one more solution to access your pictures on your memory card if you are still unable to retrieve them. There are a number of 'Digital Memory Recovery' software packages available on the web and in the high street stores. It is very difficult to recommend a specific product to solve your card problem. You would be advised to seek advice from the retailer or from the product information sheet. If this seems a little technical take your camera and memory card to a retail photofinisher in the high street, they often supply a 'picture recovery service' for a modest charge; however you may still have to replace your memory card as a final solution.

Still can't see the media? As a last resort try using the memory card in a working camera or a card reader that uses the same memory type. If you can't get the media to work there either, you probably have a corrupted data, shorted or physically damaged card in need of replacement. 
On the other hand, if you do manage to get the card to work elsewhere, the problem could be with your camera...

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