Digital Photography
Would you like to know why the sky’s the limit with digital photography? Digital photography is less than twenty years old, which makes it one of the newest art forms on the planet. Because it is so new, the standards of what can separate the good digital photos from the bad are still being made. This is an exciting time for those who love digital photography, because they can help shape the artistic aesthetics of generations to come.
Is It Real Photography?
There will always be purists who will decry digital photography as not being “real photographyâ€. Some artists and critics think that traditional film photography has a depth and beauty that digital photography cannot match…yet.
If photography is defined as the art of making still images to show some truth about the world, then it really shouldn’t matter what medium is used to make than image. Traditional photography captures images on film. Digital photography captures images in binary data. Sometimes this gives the digital images a blockier look, as if it was captured from a television screen rather than from real life.
But digital photography has advantages over film photography. With digital photography, you can store many more images on your computer or on ofoto web site albums rather than bulky albums of film photos. Digital photos don’t age as fast as traditional film photos. And you can do some editing tricks that are impossible in traditional film photography.
Don’t Believe All You See
Because images are stored as binary data on your compute, you can blow up the image and edit it. Many digital photography programs allow you to change colors and shading. But, more importantly, they can seamlessly transfer one image to another. Many trick photos using film photography look fake – on closer inspection, you can see where one image was physically pasted over another. But in digital photography, the eye is fooled into believing what you see.
In one example popular over the internet among guinea pig lovers in the late 1990’s, was a very convincing photo of Queen Elizabeth II holding a cushion where a giant green guinea pig was sitting on it. The guinea pig even cast shadows! The shade of green was so light and the photo so convincing that for a moment you could believe that somehow light green giant guinea pigs had been successfully bred in Britain and then went to go visit the Queen.
Digital photography promises to take creativity to a new level, as long as the digital photographers reveal that the images are works of self-expression and not the literal truth.
May 16, 2008
Digital Night Photography
There are many aspects of digital night photography to take into consideration. A great deal of the things that are the most worth taking a picture of happen once the sun goes down or the lights go off, and there was a day when that was just something that everyone was forced to deal with. So many things were missed, and there were so many obscure photographs taken in attempts to get some type of night photo, that many attempts were abandoned. What is the point of taking a picture in the dark when it never comes out in the end? It is just wasted film…or is it?
Digital Night Photography to the Rescue
Digital night photography has come along to change all of this, though and it has truly begun to revolutionize the things that photographers are choosing to capture with their camera lenses, bringing a new facet to an already interesting and sophisticated art. While the principles of digital night photography are very similar to those of any other type of the more traditional photography, there are a bit more different principles to follow that just about anyone can adapt to if they have some background in photography in general.
The idea behind digital night photography in general is the slower shutter speeds, which allow for more light to actually enter into the photo. This can create a problem, however, for those rush photographers who think every picture should be taken in half of a second.
Digital Night Photography Tripod
Luckily, taking pictures at night is something that is so revolutionary most cameras already come with the features that are needed in order to get that accomplished. Most people who make attempts at digital night photography take along a few specific things to help make the experience a tad bit easier, and a camera tripod is one of those very things.
The reason why a tripod is so necessary to the digital night photography experience is because the process behind digital night photography is extended exposure. This means that it will take the camera a bit longer to actually store the image of the picture into the camera’s digital memory system, and that leaves a lot of room for blurriness, which is a great way to ruin a picture.
Digital night photography just makes everything that much more memorable. There is so much to do and see that happens after the sun goes down, much of which is definitely worth taking a picture of. With lower shutter speeds, longer exposure times, and rapidly advancing digital night photography technology there are even more Kodak moments right at your fingertips.
May 15, 2008
Digital Nature Photography
Are you interested in knowing more about digital nature photography? If so, there are some considerations for you to think about before you head outdoors. Digital nature photography can be more enjoyable when you remember to follow these tips.
Taking Photos of Wildlife
The main idea is not to scare away your targets. There are a few tips to remember that will reduce the chances of the wildlife running away. Do not use the flash on your camera because this will instantly alert any animals to your presence. If you wear fragrance, the wildlife will also know you are near, so do not use a scent if you are planning to photograph wildlife.
Keeping a Distance from Your Subjects
Use your zoom lens because you will be able to take pictures of animals at a distance without disturbing them. Take plenty of pictures to compensate for an uncontrolled subject. When you are focusing on an animal, make sure the eyes are in focus and shoot from different angles for interest. Using a small and quiet camera will help you to remain unnoticed.
Sunrise or Sunset Shots
When you are taking a picture of a beautiful sky, do not let the horizon sit in the middle of the picture because this is just not interesting. Instead, have only 1/3 of the image space devoted to the sky. Add depth by having a natural setting at the edges of the image. Take plenty of shots from different angles so you can choose the very best ones for printing or sharing.
Use a tripod because of the steadiness that it will give you for longer shots. For panoramic shots, shoot from left to right. Instead of direct light which can be harsh, take shots when the sun is behind a cloud for diffused lighting conditions.
Keep the Camera Still
If you cannot use a tripod, you may have to hold your breath while taking shots because this will lessen any movements of your hands.
The Best Lighting is Natural
For nature images, the best lighting is natural because it shows the brilliant colors naturally without any harsh lighting or shadows. If you need to lessen the light, drape a piece of fabric to create a softer light.
You can give form to your photographs if you use natural elements of line and patterns to create a composition. The simpler your background is, the more important your subjects will appear in the image.
Digital nature photography is one of the most fulfilling subjects for a photographer. The ability to go outdoors for digital nature photography can be both relaxing and fun. Digital nature photography produces stunning natural images that are very memorable for the beauty of their subjects.
May 14, 2008
Digital Infrared Photography
Would you like to discover all about digital infrared photography? If you are looking to find some extraordinary results from your digital photography which also does not require any extensive techniques to master, then look at digital infrared photography, in which light that is not visible to the eye can still be captured through your digital camera’s lens. You will be more than pleased with the type of photograph obtained using digital infrared photography techniques and your photographs will also be quite astoundingly wonderful. The reason why your photographs look more surreal is that digital infrared photography will ignore visible light and only take into account infrared light which will result in very stunning compositions.
Take A Course
You will of course require the proper digital infrared photography equipment though the technique itself is not at all hard to learn. In fact, you could take a course in digital infrared photography and many courses are available even online; so, you can easily get started on a course of your choosing. To check whether your digital camera supports infrared shooting capabilities you could press your TV remote from close to the camera and if you see a resulting light in the LCD of your camera then you will be in luck.
Having ascertained that your digital camera is conducive to digital infrared photography, you will then need to have a few accessories to make the experience better. The first thing you will require is a filter that obviously filters out the visible light to allow only infrared light into your camera. You can easily buy a filter for about twenty dollars and Hoya R72 is very popular in this respect. In addition, most digital cameras does not have thread adapter and so attaching the filter requires a bit of creativity, otherwise you can purchase an adapter. The other accessory you will need is a tripod that is required because digital infrared photography needs higher aperture and lesser shutter speed.
You will next want to try getting the most from digital infrared photography and so you may want to choose a landscape as a subject or even try shooting people when there is enough sunlight. There is also a need to adjust your settings so that you get the desired effect and there are many digital cameras that provide excellent photos when used in automatic mode. So, that is a good starting point though in other instances you should keep the flash off, switch to black and white mode, keep the film speed at maximum possible and shutter speed at as slow a rate as is possible with a fifteenth of a second also quite useful.
When you choose digital infrared photography, your horizons are greatly expanded and it is possible to get stunning photographs even when using basic equipment. Once you master the basics, there is plenty more for you to explore and learn, and if you are very serious about this form of photography, you should seriously consider taking a course in digital infrared photography which will help you get the ultimate results from such a form of photography.
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