That’s right. Who could say that there’s no chance that your hobby could also be the foundation of your first business venture? There are a lot of people out there who are in need of a good photographer to capture images of their son’s wedding, their daughter’s graduation or their very own wedding. Why couldn’t you be the one to supply your photography services to their needs?

For the transition of photography from hobby to your very own business, there are several tasks that you have to accomplish first.

Market Your Photography Skills – Sell yourself, in other words! Let people know about what you can do in the field of photography, why they need your skills and why they should hire you. Make sure, however, that you charge them reasonable rates since you’re still more or less an amateur in the field of photography.

To effectively market your photography skills, don’t be afraid of spending a little money on posting ads in the classified sections. Don’t stop there but post about your photography business in as many places as you can.

Join Interest Groups – This could be the local photography club in your community or the association of young photographers in your school. It could also be a Yahoo Group that you could easily join.

Usually, these groups are able to hold regular or annual exhibits of their works and it wouldn’t hurt to expose to the world the beauty of your works in photography.

Join Photo Competitions – Two things that you could enjoy when joining photography competitions: fame and fortune. Both are equally important. Fame would do wonders to your career in photography because it would let the world know about your skills and winning a photography competition may also offer the prize of having an apprenticeship under a world famous photographer. And when it comes to wealth – well, when did extra money ever hurt?

Offer Your Skills For Free to Government Projects – The government is always on the lookout for professionals who are willing to work for free and you should take advantage of this. Offer your photography skills for free because this would give you the opportunity to show them what you got.

Offer Samples of Your Work to Newspapers and Magazines – This is just like joining a photography competition. When you offer samples of your work to newspapers and magazines, you’re improving the chances that you’ll get noticed by the people who matters.

Although we can’t say that the road to victory is easy, never give up, never stop taking pictures and you’re sure to go far!

Although digital technology allows people to display and store their images using various media which are reputed to last for centuries, there’s still something to be said for having an actual photograph in your hands. Displaying digital images using various types of high-tech equipment can be a bit expensive. Because of this, many people still prefer to showcase their digital images using the conventional picture frame. For this reason, many people like buying printers for digital photography.

Because of the demand for digital photography printers, many companies are scrambling to build products. Each company produces a different kind of digital photography printer and then goes all out in proclaiming it to be the best. Isn’t it just frustrating? Imagine for a moment, that you were a person who wanted to buy a new digital photography printer. To make things easier for you, you decide to choose the best one available. So you go into the store and tell the person at the counter that you want the best digital photography printer available. And then you get hit by this question: what do you mean?

What, indeed, does the term “best” mean when you are selecting a digital photography printer? As with most of things in this life, the term “best” is relative. What’s best for you may not be the best for somebody else. In order to minimize your confusion, here are some standards you should use:

1) Cost – many people actually try to choose the best digital photography printer based on the cost. Of course, most people will claim that quality is expensive. Hence, the most expensive thing on the store must have the highest quality. Others define “best” as being the cheapest. They believe that if they find the lowest-priced digital photography printer available, they would have found the best product for them.

It is important to remember, however, that companies often take customer psychology into account when they are pricing items. Some deliberately price items low in order to encourage sales. Others deliberately price items low in order to give buyers a sense of prestige.

2) Design – some people go by the looks when they are choosing a digital photography printer. Because of this, many companies today hire top-notch artists and designers. People want equipment that looks good. They want to buy a digital photography printer that lets them express themselves through its sleekness and overall appearance.

Design isn’t all about looks. Design is also about function. Many companies today design their digital photography printers to be more appealing functionally to people. They often design digital photography printers to be compact in order to encourage people who, today, think that small is always better.

3) Features – nowadays, people want a digital photography printer that does everything. This is understandable; of course, since having such equipment means that you have to do less work. Many people today like to buy digital photography printers which only need human supervision once every century. Some of the digital photography printers available today are so packed with features that it is actually very surprising that they don’t make lunch as well. Oh well, whatever floats your boat.

Just remember, however, that sometimes having fewer features can be an advantage. This is especially true if you are looking for a digital photography which can perform one function well. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

In part 1 of: Get the most out of your camera, we looked at how to use the aperture and the creative uses of depth-of-field. In this part we’ll look at how to use the shutter button on your camera and how both the shutter and the aperture control exposure.

The shutter is a mechanical device that controls the length of time that light is allowed to act on the film.
Most SLR cameras, whether digital or film, allow us to use a range between 16 second and 1/1000 second. Some go as high as 1/4000 second.  You might be wondering, why anyone would use a long shutter time of 16 seconds: I’ve used this and even longer shutter times when taken lowlight landscape images. It is always necessary to use a tripod with these long exposure times to avoid blurred images.

Using a shutter speed of 1/125 second should safely avoid overall blur due to camera movement if you hold the camera by hand. Any longer shutter time should require a tripod.  If your hands are very steady, you may be able to hold the camera while shooting at 1/60 second.

Each time you open the shutter by one, we double the light, when we close down the light by one we half the light. Open the shutter at 2 second allows twice the light as that of a second.

The shutter can also be used creatively when taking landscape images or sport images. If you want to add motion to your image a slow shutter speed can give an image an extra bit of sway. No more so than taking images of streams. Using a slow shutter speed when photographing water will cause the water to blur, resulting with the image expressing motion.

By contrast, a fast shutter speed of 1/250 would be used in shooting wildlife or where the subject that you’re shooting needs to be still and sharp. Most wildlife photographers would use a fast shutter speed.  Years ago while on safari in Africa I found some of my photos were blurred even though I used a fast shutter speed.  I found out that it was due to engine vibrations from the vehicle we were riding in.  Be sure to ask the driver to shut off the engine while you are shooting, else you may get some blurring.  If you use a very fast shutter speed such as 1/1000 or 1/2000 this may not be a problem.  But if you are using a long lens which may be somewhat slower you often can’t use such a fast shutter speed.

By using the shutter and aperture together we control exposure. Both allow light to enter the camera; the shutter by time and the aperture by the size of the hole in the lens.

For example: you’re shooting a landscape scene; you get an exposure reading at f/11 at 1/4 of a second. You know that by using f/11 that the entire image wont be sharp. You want to shoot at f/22, which is four times less light than f/11. You need to quadruple the light through time; each time you open the shutter by one you double the light, so open it by two stops and your exposure time will be 1 second. Your final exposure should read f/22 at 1 second.

At the best of times, calculating the correct exposure can be a difficult task, but with a few simple tips our images can produce eye-catching colours that we see all around us every day.

Did you ever see an image where only a small part of it is sharp? Using the aperture ring correctly can maximise the artistic look of your image.

Not only does it determine the depth-of-field, it also has the power to direct the human eye. The human eye is instinctively drawn towards noticeable points of an image. These are usually the sharpest and most important parts of an image. Using a wide aperture to limit the area of sharp focus can direct attention to the most important elements of your image and blur out any off-putting backgrounds.

This isn’t that hard to accomplish, and can be blissful if done correctly.  Lets start off with understanding depth-of-field, aperture and f/stops.

Depth-of -field: The distance from the front to back that is in reasonable sharp focus is called the depth-of-field. There are two ways of controlling depth-of-field: Use a small aperture or focus on a point farther away from your camera.

Aperture and f/stops: The aperture is an opening in the centre of the lens through which light passes. The amount of light, which passes through an aperture, is indicated by f/stops. The lower the f/stop the more light that passes through the aperture. Opening up one full f/stop doubles the amount of light entering the camera. F/4 admits twice the light of f5.6.

By selecting a small or narrow aperture (f/16 or up), all or most of the scene will be reasonably sharp. This is ideal for landscape photography. By using a small aperture you increase the depth-of-field.

By selecting a large or wide aperture (f/5.6 or below) you decide which part of your image is sharp. This is ideal for taking pictures of wildlife, portraits, sport and small objects. By using a large aperture you decrease the depth-of-field

The smaller the f/number, the wider the aperture.  There is about twice the depth-of-field behind the point of focus as there is in front of it, using any aperture.

Now you know how to isolate your subject, so it’s time to put it to use. Set your camera to aperture-priority (AV) mode, and then select a large aperture (f/2 – f/5.6). By doing this the camera will select the shutter speed automatically. If you are shooting wildlife choose a low viewpoint to maximise the image, try putting the camera lens at eye-level with the subject.

Some cameras, like my Canon 50D, allow you to check the depth-of-field through a depth-of-field preview button.  This allows you to stop down the lens to the aperture that you have set and you can see what part of the picture is in focus  through the viewfinder.

While the above will help to isolate your subject, it’s only a start. Know your subject, especially when shooting wildlife. Don’t be fooled into thinking all elements of an image must be sharp to be considered a good photo.

I was sitting on the beach in Melbourne Beach, Florida with my wife and friends and had just finished taking a  few photos.   I put the camera in the camera bag and had just sat down in a beach chair when a rogue wave suddenly appeared and water was in my camera bag before I could move.  I quickly grabbed the bag and camera and tried to dry off the camera with a towel.  At that time I was using a Canon 30D with a 1:2.8 28-70 zoom lens.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t switched the camera off and the salt water sent a shock through the camera.

After drying the camera I put it in a bag of rice hoping it would absorb the moisture that was left on and in the camera and save the camera, but all to no avail.  Lucky for me, the lens was not damaged but the camera was shot.   Because I needed the camera for a family event that was coming up very soon, I decided not to send the camera for repair but I purchased a new camera, the Canon 50D.  I didn’t want to take a chance on not geting the camera back in time for the event or getting it back and it not working properly.  The Canon 50D cost about $1000, where the 30D had cost about $1500.

If you are near salt water with your camera, be sure to switch it off when not using it.  Try to keep it zipped in your camera bag if possible.  If the camera gets wet, try to dry it as much as possible right away and get it in for repair as soon as possible.  There are things that you should do yourself before sending it in for repair.  Remove the batteries right away and don’t switch the camera on until it’s completely dried out.  The salt is a good conductor and it shorts out the circuitry, especially if the camera is switched on at the time of the incident.  If the camera is completely submerged in the salt water it is a good idea to rinse the camera completely in fresh water, better yet distilled water, before letting it dry for 3-4 days.  Try blow drying with a hair dryer on low heat for short periods of time before sitting it out to dry.  In addition to the rice which I used, you can use silica packs to absorb the moisture.  Then, and only then, try turning on the camera.

If you live near the ocean like I do and use your camera in the salt air, there are some precautions that you should take on a regular basis.  Clean your gear routinely.  Salt can cause corrosion in the camera circuitry and can also etch glass.  Using a UV filter over the lens can afford some protecton from salt water and sand which is another intruder which can cause permanent damage to lenses and the camera itself.  When salt is present in the camera, you may hear grinding in the controls of the camera.  It takes tedious work to remove the sand.  Compressed air is sometimes used to try to remove sand but this can drive grains of sand deeper into the guts of the camera.  Be careful about leaving the camera in the blazing sun or hot car trunks for long periods of time.  Also going from A/C to the high summer heat and vice versa, espcially here in Florida where I live and the humidity is high, condensation may form inside your camera and your lenses may fog up.  This may cause malfunction in the circuitry and corrosion over time.

The batteries and the memory card are usually ok after a water incident.  I read a story while researching this article that a memory card was in the ocean for four years and the pictures on the memory card were still recoverable after being found.  Through the internet, the owner who lost the camera in the ocean was found and reconnected with her pictures.

That incident made me think about going back to Viet Nam and looking for my camera that fell into the South China Sea over forty years ago.  But I guess that wouldn’t work since we used film back then.

Digital cameras use flash memory cards to store data (photos).  The technology has changed tremendously over the past few years.  The type of memory used most commonly today is compact flash (CF) and secure digital (SD).  I use Canon equipment which uses CF so I’ll refer mainly to that type of card.  The capacity of the compact flash has increased tremendously over the past few years.  What used to come as a few megabytes sizes now is available in up to 128 gigabytes size.  I use a 4 gigabyte SanDisk Ultra II CF which is adequate for most of my photo shoots.  It really depends on the number of photos you plan to shoot as well as the type of photos, whether RAW, JPEG or compressed.  The largest companies manufacturing the memory card include SanDisk and Lexar.

Many of the SLR digital camers like the Canon 50D which I use have settings where the camera can be programmed to shoot JPEG resolution or RAW resolution.  JPEG resolution can also be compressed even more to allow for more storage of images on the memory card.  The RAW files contain a lot more data than the JPEG files, thereby using more storage space on the compact flash, usually more than twice as much.  It can also store each image in RAW and JPEG, thereby using a tremendous amount of storage.  It then takes more time for a RAW file to be written to the flash card.  Again, it takes more time to transfer the files to the computer.  When my 4GB card is used and my camera is programmed to shoot RAW and JPEG, the card will hold only 128 photos but when set to JPEG compression it can hold over 1000 images.

Common sizes for the compact fash care are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 gigabytes.  The larger sizes have been available for the past several months and the capacity may now maxed out for the standard CF card.  Some of the cards have the speed indicated on the card such as 10X, 20X, 40X, 133X and now up to 633X.  The question always comes up as to how much speed do you really need.  Some photographers use faster cards when shooting sports or other action events or when using a motor drive for continous shooting.  Most SLR digitall cameras have a buffering system where rapid sequence shots are stored in the camera until they are written to the flash memory card.  Many experts feel taht a faster card is not necessary in these cases.  The buffer may hold 10-30 images which are captured during a rapid sequence burst and then they are written to the card according to the speed of the card which may take another 10-30 seconds to clear the buffer.  You don’t have to wait until the buffer is clear before you take another photo but you won’t be able to take another rapid sequence burst until some of the space is cleared up in the buffer.

When transferring photos from the camera to the computer, a faster card may not speed things up.  After a long photo shoot involving hundreds of photos, such as a wedding, it can take a long period of time to transfer the images to the computer.  A fast card may not be the answer.  There are other factors affecting transfer rate including the camera, whether or not you’re using a card reader, whether it is internal or external through the UBS port which has its own limitations.  I once went on safari in Africa before the digital age and had 1800 photos when I returned.  I can see myself transferring that numberof photos in one sitting.  It is recommended that a card reader be used when such largee files are being transferred, mainly to save wear and tear on the camera.

I don’t think a fast card is that important to the average person who’s shooting a few pictures at a time.  If you’re doing large photo shoot on a regular basis, then the speed of the CF card becomes important.  It may save you time after a long day’s shoot and you may be able to get into bed a little earlier.

More people are able to afford digital cameras because their prices are falling but the number of characteristics is rising so it is important to be able to compare digital camera features.

The first step in being able to compare digital camera features is to decide what you want to get out of your camera. If you compare digital camera prices you will see that for shooting family snapshots you can get a good basic digital camera for under $400, while a professional model is over $2,000. When you compare digital camera features you need to know the extent of the use you are going to get out of it.

It is essential when you compare digital camera options to understand the issues of image resolution, which is measured in megapixels. Basically, the more megapixels, the higher the resolutions of the final image but you definitely need to compare digital camera images with your actual requirements. This is best done if you compare digital camera resolution with the size of the images that you want to print and you will find that a 1-mg camera can create a 3-by-5-inch (7.5 by 13 cm) photo-quality print; a 2-mg camera will make a 5-by-7-inch (13 by 18 cm) print; a 3-mg camera will make an 8-by-10-inch (20 by 25 cm) print, and a 6-mg camera will make a 9-by-13-inch (23 by 33 cm) print.

One of the other points to consider when you compare digital camera prices is to look at the complete package that is offered. Some included extras to look for when you compare digital camera packages are if the camera includes a cable for your computer and if it comes with image-editing software that works with your computer. If these are not included it is still possible for you to buy them separately but you need to allow for this when you compare digital camera prices. Another important point to consider when you compare digital camera options is to choose a camera with removable memory in addition to built-in memory.

All of the cameras that you are considering when you compare digital camera features should have an LCD screen for viewing pictures, a built-in flash, a timer, and a time/date stamp on even the most basic camera. You should also look to compare digital camera packages that have optical zoom, not digital, if you need a zoom capability and most midrange cameras should have high-quality optical zoom lenses but it is still worth checking to make sure.

Taking pictures of fireworks can be easy, although most people think it is difficult.  I have taken photos of fireworks for years and have found out that it takes a bit of planning.  Before leaving home, assemble all of your equipment. You  willl need a tripod, a good camera with a standard lens as well as a telephoto if available.   I actually use a zoom, 100-400mm, which works quite well.  My “standard” lens is also a zoom, 28-70 mm, which I can use to get a wider view of the fireworks.  I use the telephoto more because the 100-400mm gives me more lattittude in shooting and there is usually not much a background except the sky or the beach.

You need to be at the site early so you can find a good spot from which to shoot. Find a spot that’s  convenient to parking which has a clear view of the sky where the fireworks will go off.  Be sure that there are no obstructing trees or power lines.  Also, check out the background which will be on the photos.  Will there be a clear sky or will a cityscape be in the background.  You should be in a spot where heads will not suddenly be in front of you and your lens.

About 15 minutes before the firework display is scheduled to begin, you should have yhour camera and tripod set up and ready to go. If there are any lighted objects in the area, take a couple of test shots just to see what kind of results you get.  With my lenses I usually open the lens for 1-3 seconds at a wide open f/stop.  Some photographers would rather stop down to between f/8 and f/16 and with this you get better depth of field and sharper photos.  It’s a personal choice; you would need to leave the lens open longer if you use the smaller f stops.  You can use the bulb setting and hold the lens open manually or you can use the timed setting on the camera. Either way it’s best if you use a remote release device to avoid camera shake.  I never use the self-timer because it’s so difficult to anticipate the moment when you need to open the lens. This is the reason you need a tripod.  Be sure to have a strong, sturdy one especially if you have a heavy telephoto lens like I have. As you take the photos on a digital camera you can immediately see your results and make adjustments as necessary.  On a typical fourth of July I take 100-200 images, and from that number I usually have at least 50 decent shots.

If you use a point and shoot camera, you can also get surprisingly good images.  Some of the less expensive cameras have setting for night photography.  Use that setting for fireworks and you’ll be surprised at the good photos you can get.

Fourth of July 2009

strong>Are your precious photos safe?

Are you backing up your precious photos? our computers and removable storage media are full with experiences and precious moments. However electronic media is not safe. Hard disks crash and removable media fails.

Disasters can happen. Digital photo albums are vulnerable and if not backed up you lose thousands of photos and a lifetime of moments in just one hard disk crash.

What are backups? backups are just copies of our files that are put in a safe place. Example of such copies can be photos put on a DVD and placed at a friend’s house. The DVD could of course be placed in your own house but that would be less safe since in case of a disaster in your house you might lose both your computer and the backups.

A few years ago backups were hard to make. You practically had to be a computer guru to figure our those backup software. Today however backup was made easy using a number of software solution and online service. Below you can find two main options for backing up your photo albums: burning them to a DVD/CD or using an online backup service.

Backing up to a DVD/CD

Backing up to a DVD/CD is done by using a DVD/CD writer drive and software that can burn files on such media. Usually using such solutions requires more technical know-how. Backing up to a DVD/CD is a cheap solution. You can buy such writer drives and software for probably under a $100 and each DVD/CD media should cost in the cents. One such software that has been around for a while and used by many is from Roxio.

When backing up your photo albums to a DVD/CD please make sure that you put the DVD/CD in a safe place a good option would be somewhere out of your home maybe a family member, a neighbor you can trust or a friend. Another thing to remember with DVD/CD backup is that when you take new photos you should remember to refresh your backups. Ususally unless your photo album is very big the easiest way to do that is just to burn again you complete collection.

Backing up to an online backup service

As any other service backup found its way to the Internet too. A number of sites provide backup services today for everything from digital photo albums to your word documents. Those services usually charge a monthly fee in the $10 to $20 but some provide a more limited service for free. The idea behind the service is simple: instead of backing up to a DVD/CD you just upload your photos to a site and create copy there. The site stores the backups for you in a safe place far away from your computer. If a disaster happens and you need your files you can simple download them back from the site or ask them to send you a DVD/CD with the files (not all provide the latter option). A broadband connection is needed in order to use this option.

There are many advantages to using an online backup service. First they are usually very easy to use. Some provide software that you download and install on your computer. You then point to the folder where your photos reside and the software takes it from there. It will make sure new files are uploaded to the backup service and that your backup is always fresh.

Examples of sites that provide such service are: Streamload that starts with a basic FREE 10GB space (approx 10,000 photos at 2 megapixels) and Xdrive that starts from 5GB for $10 a month.

The development in science and technology in recent years has not just been about developing of devices that make life easier, it has also been a lot about making life more luxurious. One such great development has been the concept of digital camera.

Digital cameras are nothing but cameras that allow you to take pictures digitally instead of having to use cameras that take and store pictures on photographic films. They are easy to use, and are generally multifunctional, providing various facilities. Digital cameras are known for taking good images, which are as good as the pictures taken by the conventional cameras, if not better.

In fact, digital cameras allow one not only to click great pictures; they also allow one to view the pictures as and when taken. Therefore, if you take a picture, and are not satisfied with the way it looks, and if you still have the opportunity of capturing that special moment, you can go on clicking your camera, till you get exactly what you desire.

Digital cameras also allow the option of using a flash light as and when required, to obtain a much clear image. In many digital cameras, there is also an option for taking automatic pictures. This is especially meant for those special moments, when everybody wishes to get included in the picture, without being left out, staying behind the lens.

Digital cameras also allow the user to shoot as well as save videos. Generally the sound and the picture quality is good, though it mostly varies from camera to camera. The flash light can be used while video shooting too and the fact that these are so portable and handy, they allow you to carry them anywhere for any length of time with great ease. Options can be set for automatic video shooting to, in case nobody is willing to stand behind the lens.

There are digital cameras that also allow you to change the style and color of the pictures you may be taking. For instance, you may set an option to take only black and white pictures, or pictures with a bluish or reddish hue. Some digital cameras also come with special lens that can focus and take pictures of a much wider area. Sometime you also might be able to take your own pictures as well as videos, staying behind the lens by adjusting them, if your digital camera gives you that option.

However, one of the greatest benefits of using a digital camera is probably the fact that it allows you to click a large number of pictures without having to worry too much about the memory space. The pictures may be saved in CDs, which means that no matter how long your vacation maybe and how many pictures you end up taking, you do not run out of space trying to save those sweet memories. This not only makes digital cameras more convenient to use, but it also makes it very cheap as compared to the traditional cameras.

However, the special features provided by the digital cameras vary from one camera to another, depending on the producing company, and of course on the price range of the camera. With the rapid development in digital cameras taking pace every now and then, and the prices coming down heavily, with each new discovery, digital cameras are fast becoming one of the most popular electronic goods of the modern world.

Suddenly possessing a digital camera has become a necessity in this fast changing world. Whether one loves photography or not, possessing a personal digital camera is surely one luxury many of us crave for!