Digital Photography and the Printed World

Photo collections – for traditional photographers the phrase conjures thoughts of bound albums and mounds of shoeboxes, stuffed to capacity with 5 x 7 inch pictures. For today’s ever growing ranks of digital photographers however, it brings to mind thoughts of a stamp-sized memory card, a pocket hard drive, or CDs and DVDs. Welcome to the world of digital photography, which is fundamentally changing the way we capture and preserve images.

Digital photography today is a rapidly growing consumer pastime with many advantages versus traditional film-based cameras, including the ability to immediately review, erase, annotate or categorize images, speed and ease of operation, and quality at the high end of the digital photography scale. Although some film cameras can operate without batteries, minus the flash, most consumers are unconcerned with use in wet or poor weather environments and are drawn to digital cameras by all of the advantages that they offer.

Because of this, the entire photography industry is changing to embrace different consumer preferences, including a reduced desire for printed photos. The market for printed photos from film in the United States peaked in 2000 at over 30 billion, and then fell to under 26 billion by 2004. Initially, there were problems with quick-service photography shops “cropping” digital images in order to force them to print properly on the same paper used by film cameras – as more and more people move to digital however, services and products emerge to make it easier to transfer your memories from electronic to tangible.

Some people feel that a picture just isn’t a picture if you can’t put it into a frame (although wireless, internet-enabled miniature LCD ‘picture frames’ ARE available) or store it in a photo album. But many of today’s young people are much more comfortable with technology than their parents and grandparents. It is not uncommon for a college student to feel more secure with electronic images than paper ones.

No one is certain whether digital photography will eventually reduce our demand for photo prints, but it is guaranteed that the way of the future in photography is digital. Additionally, there are far more snapshots being taken than ever before, due to the ease with which they can be reviewed and removed from digital cameras. So whether you’re partial to electronic or shoebox image storage, be ready for photos to get easier, better and cheaper in coming years – and of course, keep smiling.

Do I really need that Waterproof Digital Camera?

Who can deny the usefulness of cameras? As we all know, cameras are meant to capture our most precious memories on film. Some of those moments, however, happen to take place in less than ideal environments. Hence the camera of choice is required to be more sturdy and versatile then your average or standard camera. As you undoubtedly know, digital cameras have now all but replaced the conventional film cameras we've all grown up with. Since digital cameras rely on sophisticated computer boards and microprocessors that are more prone to damage by the elements such as water, the demand for waterproof digital cameras is very strong indeed.

Many occasions such as weddings, parties, and nightclubs where we want to take pictures are full of events that may endanger your precious camera. Among the more common dangers include spilled drinks, watery foods, swimming pools, toilet bowls, and sinks. These are events where a waterproof camera would be an ideal choice.

Fortunately, most if not all the manufacturers offer a waterproof version of thier most popular cameras for sale. In the event that one is not available, all is not lost. There are many protective cases and coverings, some even custom made for your camera, that you could use to protect your camera.

Of course there is the issue of the cost being higher for a waterproof camera, however, when you compare the small difference in cost, it is really not that large considering the benefits you will receive.

Given the choice between a standard digital camera and it's waterproof counterpart, and assuming all other features are similar, it would seem that the waterproof camera would be a wiser choice. This would insure that your investment is secure and your camera will carry with it, the added peace of mind of knowing that you need not worry about the inevitable perils of water damage.

As always, be sure to check out the many resources available online to assist you in making the right buying decision.

Comparing Digital Camera Features

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.

Poppies in Tuscany 2 – Digital Flower Pictures

It can be hard work locating the perfect field of poppies in front of the perfect view of a Tuscan town. You think it might just be easier to slap in a field of poppies on your computer at home later. Well, these days it is a viable alternative, one much used in the professional photography world, but if you’re going to do it well, there is still a lot of work involved.

This time you are going to need to find two shots: one of the view of your chosen town in Tuscany, ideally with a nicely defined hill curving gently in the foreground, which will be filled with poppies digitally later; the other the poppy field itself in a similar light to your first picture and on a similarly contoured hill or field. A flat field of poppies stuck onto a hill shaped foreground is just going to look like a collage. So no escape from the driving around Tuscany searching for the perfect shot then.

Just as well that it is more of a joy than a punishment to potter along the winding roads between such jewels as Pienza and Montepulciano, |San Quirico d’Orcia and Montalcino, you don’t even need the excuse of photography. Get a friend to drive so that you don’t end up in the ditch, craning to get a better view of Monte Amiata, my favourite mountain, or of the towers of Siena in the distance. A detailed map will help you explore the strada bianca (dirt roads), but they are not always completely accurate, so be prepared to head off into the unknown and turn back at a dead end – all part of the adventure. The magic of Tuscany is the unexpected view, a hidden crumbling brick farmhouse with cypress trees, a perfect field of poppies.

You’ve located your shots of your background town and your foreground poppies. Take a lot of permutations of the same shot: different depths of field, different points of focus, different angles, different light situations. Return to the same place at a different time of day to get a different angle of sunlight on your poppies. You need a large choice of shots to play with when you get home to your computer. Once home you can’t re-shoot, you have to work with the material you’ve already collected.

Now you have hours of fun ahead of you: selecting the images to work with and then juxtaposing them perfectly and seamlessly to create the ultimate illusion, that looks effortless. Only you have the satisfaction of knowing how much work went into creating the perfect photograph of Poppies in Tuscany.

Copyright 2006 Kit Heathcock

Options for storing, retrieving and viewing your digital photographs.

If you're just starting out with a digital camera, or you are considering buying a new camera, and you like what you've heard about digital photography, you probably have a few burning questions about the technology. What replaces the film? Do you need a computer? What process replaces getting your pictures developed, and how can you store and view all your photos without having to print them off? This is a short guide that will answer these questions, and give you an idea about what your options are as far as storing, retrieving, and viewing your digital photographs goes.

When you take a picture with an optical film camera, you have a shutter opening for a fraction of a second, exposing photosensitive film to the light which is projected into an image by the lens, onto the surface of the film. The film stores a negative color impression of your image. Later it is “fixed” then developed into a “positive” true color photograph in a dark room (or these days, a compact machine which performs the same task.) When you're done, you get a copy of the fixed negative, and the true color photo. The principle of digital photography isn't much different. A microprocessor-controlled photosensitive microchip-wafer is programmed to become receptive to light projected onto its surface by a lens for a fraction of a second. The chip then digitizes that image into a sequence of tiny colored dots, called pixels. This information is stored as a numerical sequence, which is then recorded to the camera's “memory”. This is the important part. A camera usually has a small amount of “on board” memory, sufficient to store somewhere between 15 and 100 photos. The amount of space that a given photo takes up on the memory depends on a number of factors, but quite simply, the more detailed a digital photograph is, the higher the number of dots used to produce an image is, and therefore, the sequence of numbers representing those dots is longer. So, a high resolution digital photo takes up more digital space in memory.

The great thing about digital memory is that it can be written to, and read from not hundreds, but hundreds of thousands, or even millions of times, without wearing out. Because cameras only have a relatively small amount of on board memory, removable memory cards, termed “flash cards” have been developed to store larger amounts of data. While your camera may store 15 or 20 high resolution photographs on it, flash cards can store between a couple of hundred, and several thousand such images, depending on the digital capacity of the card, and the photo quality. A flash card is a thin wafer, between roughly 1/32” and 1/8th of an inch thick, and usually not much larger than an inch square. There are several different formats of these cards in common use, and they make up the bulk of common image storage devices. These include: Secure Digital; CompactFlash (1 and 2); Memory Stick; MultiMediaCard; xD-Picture Card; and SmartMedia. All of these are usually abbreviated to their initial capitals. Of these, SD and CF are the most common.

You may have heard that all computers speak in 1's and 0's before, and this is true. The standard unit for measuring digital data is “bytes”. For the purposes of this exercise, 1 byte is always equivalent 8 “bits” which are either a 1 or a 0. So a sequence of eight 1's and 0's is 1 byte. This is a very, very small amount of data. On a computer, a byte is only enough information to store a single character, such as the period at the end of the sentence. To make things easier, we work in kilobytes kB (1024 bytes), megabytes MB (1024 kB), and gigabytes GB (1024 MB, or 10243 – that's 1,073,741,824 bytes!).

To give you an idea of scale, your medium or low resolution photographs on your camera are probably somewhere around 500kB, and your highest resolution photos are probably around 2.5MB. Commonly available flash cards range in size from 64MB, 128MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 5 GB, 6 GB, and a few 8GB flash cards have recently been released. This means you could store more than 3000 very high resolution photographs on an 8 gigabyte flash card, no larger than an inch square! The smaller cards are much more cost effective, with a 512MB flash card being between $10 and $20 new. The 8GB ones are closer to the $250+ mark, and represent the pinnacle of miniaturized consumer-grade data storage. And for one final trivial point of reference, computers these days come with hard disk drives ranging in capacities between 80GB, and 500 GB, which makes your computer an attractive option for storing your photos.

If all that didn't make a lot of sense to you on the first read, don't worry. It's a subject that gets more complex the deeper go in, and people devote their lives to its study. The beauty is that you don't need to fully understand it to use it effectively. For a handful of dollars, you can store many hundreds of images. You can reuse your flash cards almost indefinitely. They will eventually get a scratch or crack from the friction of being removed and used, and they are very sensitive to static electricity, so eventually, they will fail. For this reason, it might be a good idea for you, or a friend with a computer, to back up your photos onto a more resilient medium such as a data CD or DVD.

This brings us to the next point: Do you need a computer? The short answer is no, but it helps. Fortunately, the market has developed whole product ranges for people who wish to remove the computer from the equation altogether, recognizing the demand that existed for such options. These days you can buy high-resolution printers for the home capable of producing photos almost as good as what you can have developed at the pharmacy, that plug straight into your camera, or have an on-board card reader. If you have a particularly nice photograph you want professionally printed, most photo developers have facilities to do just that. All you need to do is bring in the flash card or camera that the image is on. What a computer does offer you is a convenient way to edit and sort your collections. You can still view your photos on the camera itself, and most cameras are capable of plugging into your television, thereby allowing you to go through your photos like a slide show.

Never before have we had the ability to store so much information so easily. There is a huge range of options for storing your photos, and if you most like the idea of a sort of digital reusable film, capable of storing hundreds or thousands of photos, then you can pick up a small handful 512MB flash cards, and have a photo album so big you could never fill it. But if you do, never mind: I hear there's a 16GB Microdrive on the way .....

Finding A Cheap Digital Camera

There are a number of great websites that are dedicated to helping you find a cheap digital camera. Some of these can help you save a lot of money on your camera purchases. A lot of these websites will take the effort out of finding a cheap digital camera as they search the Internet and physical stores for the best deals for you.

There are so many sales, bargains, coupons and deals available to enable you to get a truly cheap digital camera that it can seem impossible to choose between them so it is important to find a website that gives reviews on the products as well as the vendors themselves. A cheap digital camera may not be such a good deal if it turns out that the vendor has poor levels of customer service.

Obviously, a lot of the cheap digital camera deals are constantly changing and having the latest information can be the difference between getting the camera you want and having to pay more because the offer has ended. Many websites have a number of services to help get the information about current cheap digital camera offers to you as fast as possible. You can choose to have specific cheap digital camera deals sent to you via email, mobile phone or palm text message or RSS feed amongst others. These alerts can be customized so that you can choose to only receive cheap digital camera offers that relate a particular vendor, brand of camera or area if you want to. You can also set the parameters that you would class as being cheap digital camera prices because everyone has a different budget.

Many people underestimate the influence that coupons and rebates can have on their search for the best cheap digital camera deal. It is a good idea to take the time to check through those available as they can make a big difference. Again, check to make sure that these are not subject to an expiry date or you may miss out on cheap digital camera offers.

At the end of the day there is nothing better than finding other shoppers who have bought a particular cheap digital camera. They can give you truly unbiased views about the camera itself and the place where they purchased it. You may want to pay a few dollars more to get a relatively cheap digital camera from another supplier if they have a lot of bad reviews from customers.

Review of the Samsung i5 Digital Camera

Out of the Box

Despite its diminutive size, the Samsung i5 is one solid camera and feels great in the hand. The large 2.5" LCD display is huge, especially when you consider that the entire camera is only 3.53"(w) x 2.35"(h). The camera comes packaged with a compact docking station that is designed to stay connected to your PC. When you place the Samsung i5 on its cradle it automatically allows you to transfer your photos and videos to your PC, while simultaneously charging the camera. The docking base also has a connector for TV hookup. Both cables that Samsung include with the Camera, the USB and the AV cable can be connected directly to the camera for those times when you don't want to take the docking base with you.

50MB Internal Memory

Unlike most manufacturers that typically supply a paltry 16MB memory card, the Samsung i5 comes standard with 50MB of internal memory - enough to hold twenty 5.0-megapixel images (Super fine mode), 39 in Fine mode, 57 in normal mode, or up to 3 minutes, 38 seconds of full-frame 640x480 MPEG-4 video. The advantage of having some internal memory is that you'll always have it with you - assuming you don't leave the camera behind. The camera also features a standard SD memory expansion slot, which accepts larger memory card. SD Memory cards are available in sizes of 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, and even 2GB.

Layout and Design

The Samsung i5 has an overall height and width are not much larger than a business card, which makes toting the camera around a pleasure. A matter of fact, put the camera into the included pouch (which has an integrated belt loop) and you'll truly forget that you're armed and ready to go.

While the camera does feature plenty of scene modes, options, and overrides, Samsung simplified the design by limiting the amount of external controls. The i5 is housed in a stainless steel body and as previously mentioned is available in silver, black, and red. The front of the camera features just a sliding lens cover, which hides and protects the lens, flash, and AF assist light when the camera is turned off.

Features

SCENE MODES:
The Samsung i5 has a good selection of scene modes to satisfy most every shooting situation. The only mode that Samsung neglected, and one that I have never seen left out of a camera, is a "sport" mode. A sports mode would force the camera to use a higher shutter speed in order to help "freeze" faster action. Since the i5 lacks a sports mode or any way to manually increase the shutter speed, the i5 is probably not the camera to get if you take a lot of sports pictures.

MACRO MODE:
The Samsung i5 offers an excellent macro mode, actually three macro modes. The Auto Macro Mode works automatically and allows the camera to focus as close as 2" (5 cm) from the subject when the camera is at wide angle or as close as 20" in the telephoto position. If you switch the camera to Super Macro Mode the camera can then focus on subjects as close as 0.39" from the lens. Super Macro Mode is superb at capturing the finest details from subjects, even small ones such as coins, jewelry, stamps, etc,. The standard Macro Mode is similar to Auto Macro Mode in that the camera can focus as close as 2" from the lens. Unlike the Auto Macro mode which automatically focuses from 2" to infinity, the standard Macro Mode focuses from 2" to 20". While on the same subject, the Super Macro Mode is used within the .39" to 2" range.

Conclusion

There is a lot to like about the Samsung i5 and a few things not to like. The camera performed satisfactory under most lighting conditions, but performance was only average. Start-up time was fairly quick at 2 seconds, but shot-to-shot times were very slow. Even in continuous shooting mode the best I could achieve was 1.5 seconds between shots and in this mode the screen goes completely dark while the camera captures frame after frame. Since you can't see exactly what the camera is capturing after you press the shutter release, the continuous shooting mode is more pot-luck than anything else. In single-shot mode, it took the camera about 2.5 seconds before it was ready to capture another image. Shutter lag was almost a full second, a pretty slow time when compared to other newer cameras in this class.

Now for the good news. The stainless steal body, sleek compact design, internal 3x optical zoom lens, layout and overall feel, docking station, rechargeable battery, 50MB of internal memory, integrated lens/flash cover, large 2.5" TFT color LCD display, easy-to-navigate menu system, and 30 fps MPEG-4 video mode with audio and zoom are reasons to consider the Samsung i5. The camera also features a superb super macro mode which should be considered if you often take pictures of small objects (think ebay auctions). Long exposures (night mode) seem to be one of the high points of the Samsung i5. A 12-second exposure taken in a dimly lit room yielded bright, sharp, clean results. This was very unexpected especially considering the camera lacks a tripod mount - a necessity when shooting with long exposures. To get around the lack of a tripod mount, use a bean bag or table along with the self-timer to keep the camera steady when shooting.

The camera's large 2.5" TFT display was bright indoors and out, although the LCD was not as visible when trying to frame scenes at night. The camera slides into the docking base with the LCD facing the front, making it a convenient way to do an informal slide show or connect the docking station to a large screen TV for slideshows that have impact.

If you're looking for a pocket-thin camera that balances features and image quality, has very good slow-shutter (night) performance, and is fun to use, then the Samsung i5 is a camera to consider.

Why Should You Use Digital Photography?

Digital photography is quickly becoming the preferred way to take pictures. If you are in the market for a new camera, consider the following advantages of digital over traditional film photography.

In the long run, digital is less expensive. All photos are recorder are on memory device within the camera and then downloaded straight to your computer. You skip the need to keep buying rolls of film and paying for developing. You can send unlimited copies of the same picture to friends and relatives without spending a penny extra.

You see your pictures quicker. Most digital cameras allow you to view your photos immediately. There is no waiting and worrying about whether or not that “perfect shot” turned out. You can take a picture of that new baby and immediately download it to your computer to share your good good news with friends and relatives. There’s no need for anxious grandparents to wait days or even weeks for a picture.

Most digital cameras have built in editing features. Cropping and re-centering the picture to make it look its best can be done easily. You no longer have to worry about a stray hand distracting from the main subject of your photo. Sharpening can be done immediately to bring out the details. Within minutes you can have a print-perfect photo.

You avoid the frustration of running out of film and having to find a store that is open in the middle of an important event or on vacation. Depending on the size of your memory card and the setting of file size and quality, which you often control, you can store a couple hundred pictures on one tiny card. That is the equivalent of nine or ten rolls of film.

These are just a few of the advantages of digital photography. It is definitely worth considering as you search for your next new camera.

8 Tips For Better Digital Photos

Whether you consider yourself an amateur photographer, or you just want to create better family photos, there are many things you can do to get better photos. Here are some easy tips to use the next time you head out with your digital camera.

Even a beginner can take professional-looking photos - suitable for framing.

Be Prepared

Keep all your photography equipment ready for use. Collect everything you’ll need into one place. A camera bag is ideal, because it keeps all your stuff together and lets you carry it all with you. Everything in its place. A good camera bag will let you organize a miniature tripod, extra battereis, memory cards, etc. - even a plastic bag or waterproof housing to protect your camera in wet weather.

Hold your Camera Steady

Blurry photos are almost always the result of camera movement. Just your own unsteadiness, causes your camera to shake enough to blur your pictures.

So steady yourself and your camera before you take the shot.

Plant your feet firmly on the ground and tuck your elbows in close to your sides. Instead of using the LCD viewer, steady your camera against your forehead and frame the shot using your camera’s viewfinder. You can also steady your upper body by leaning against a wall or a tree. Or totally eliminate any camera movement by using a tripod.

Once you’re all set, gently press the shutter release in one motion. Pressing the shutter release too hard could jerk the camera downward.

Get Closer

One difference in “snapshots” and really great photos is the composition of the shot. Unless you’re shooting an outdoor landscape, you can improve most photos just by getting closer to your subject. Depending on the situation, you can physically move closer to your subject, or use the zoom feature on your camera for the same effect. Try to get within a few feet of your subject so you eliminate most of the background. You’ll like the results.

Take more Pictures

Even professionals take loads of shots of the same subject - to get just a few that they will use. With a digital camera, you can delete the images you don’t like, and only print the winners - so don’t hesitate to take several shots of the same subject. Change the angle of the shot. Get a little closer. Adjust the lighting.

Why not fill the entire memory card with pictures of your kid at the pool, or your daughter in her cap and gown? The more pictures you take, the better the odds that you’ll get a few shots that will really thrill you.

Vary the Lighting

Using natural light will give better skin tones when photographing people, so try not to use the flash if you don’t have to. Outdoor daylight shots are easy, but you’ll have to be a little more creative when shooting indoors. Try using the light coming in from a window for warmer tones than you would get using the flash.

Experiment with natural lighting. You can get stronger shadows by moving your subject closer to a window, and turning your subject can create more dramatic shadows.

Eliminate Red-Eye

Red-eye is the result of light passing through your subject’s eye and reflecting back. You’ll get it more often when using your flash, just because the light from the flash isn’t as diffused as natural light. So the first tip for eliminating red-eye is simply to avoid using your flash when you don’t absolutely have to.

Another way to reduce red-eye is to have your subject look anywhere but at the camera. This reduces red-eye because any reflection isn’t directed back at your camera lens.

If you have to use the flash, some digital cameras have a built-in feature to automatically remove red-eye. Use it.

Go for Candid

Instead of posing two (or more) people looking directly at the camera, get a shot of them interacting with one another. Even two people having a conversation is more interesting than having them stand next to each other facing the camera. Some of the best professional portraits have the subject captured deep in thought, with their attention focused inward, rather than on the camera lens.

It makes a more interesting shot. Your portrait will look more natural - less posed.

Create a Scene

Putting your subject in the center of a photo is just boring. You’ll get a much more pleasing result if you place your subject off center when you frame the shot.

This is a truly professional technique. Place your subject so that they occupy 1/3 to 1/2 of the total composition, but NOT at the exact center of the frame. Capture an interesting background object in the rest of the frame.

Anybody can practice these techniques. They’re easy and you’ll get better, more professional photos.

Cheap Digital Photo Printing - Will You Get What You Pay For?

Cheap digital photo processors are a dime a dozen

Digital photo processors that do the printing cheap abound. They are everywhere you look. But to find an affordable location that can give you the quality that you expect is another story. Some places offer prints for as low as 12 cents for a 4X6 print. Others can charge as much as 58 cents per print.

What do you get for 12 cents per print?

Many customers of the chains that offer prints this cheap have a complaint similar to this one; "Some companies try to "alter" the images to get the "highest" quality photos. This person had done a test and submitted the same photos to various processing services. What they received were totally different results. Their complaint was that the photo shops try to make them look good instead of trusting their customers abilities. As simple as it sounds, leaving the picture alone can be a difficult quality to find in a photo printer online. To try to find out on your own is quite a lot to ask of paying customers. Other than altering your photos after you upload them common complaints are that the quality is not what they expected. As a photography lover let me tell you there are a lot of companies that will give you very high quality prints that will amaze you no matter what your expectations are.

What can you get if you find the right photo printing company?

There are printers that do not charge very much more and the quality is outstanding. With these more capable companies they offer very good sign-up bonuses such as 60 free 4X6 prints to start, and free membership. They can also offer various albums to organize your pictures online. All the while offering file uploads as high as 10MB. Other great services are bulk order prices. With bulk order pricing the more you order the cheaper they get. That way having a family reunion will not break the bank. As you look for a great company to print all your favorite photos remember that there are photo printers that can disappoint and there are printers that can dazzle.

What is PP in Digital Photography?

Of course, we would like to say, that this is PP Group – a leading team in the photography branch, because this is our name! Because we are PP Group. But PP in the Digital Photography means something else.

Our research shows, that most of the people use this abbreviation - PP in digital photography conversations to say the word “Photoshop” shortly. It comes out from the first and the last letters in the word - P. Normally the Photoshop software is in use from the Professional Photography, because it offers a lot of abilities for picture optimization and getting higher images quality.

Another use for PP with the photography stuff is when people are trying to say “Post-Processing” shortly. In this case people are talking about the Post-Processing in Digital Photography or for short: “PP in Digital Photography”.

You can see the PP abbreviation, when it says “Photographic process”. It means the processing, developing photographs. As we understand there is even a book, called this way – “Photographic Processes”, which describes the PP – color-negative / color-reversal processing, shooting and developing photographs. Color and B&W (Black and White) film and print processing, as well.

And talking about print processing we remembered that there is another PP meaning, which is used in digital photography conversations. That’s right! This is the Photo Printer’s stuff or the Photo Paper’s stuff. There are even some printers’ models that are called “(something) PP”. One of them is a Canon’s model. Or photo paper, called “high gloss photo paper PP 101D” or something similar.

May be you will hate us, but we feel the need to share with you, that there is another PP abbreviation and it’s for Pocket Pouch. Believe us – we think that this is not normal too, but it is a fact. The pocket pouches for your digital cameras can be offered in some sites or pamphlets like PP for digital cameras.

Believing or not, but you may see PP like “pages” meaning in Photography as well. There are lots of lessons, courses, lectures and articles that are written on different places – mostly in the internet and they are quotations from some photography books. When it is attended by numbers it is too possible PP to be a page number. Mostly it looks like this way: pp 136-278, and means, as you know – pages 136 to 278.

Well, it is not so difficult to understand what is PP in the Digital Photography now, when you know the rest of the text. You can assess which meaning will be helpful for you and to understand the main text idea.

Beginners Digital Photography Equipment Tips

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Article Body:

When you first begin using your digital photography

camera be sure you have got the correct equipment you

will need before you set out. Owning the proper equipment

is essential whenever you would like to make it

successfully wether you are a beginner or a professional.

If you're going to become a professional with your

digital photography then you had better be willing to

spend a good deal more on equipment than simply somebody

wanting to do this as a hobby. Depending upon what you

would like to do with digital photography it's entirely

up to you as to how much equipment you're going to be

checking out in buying. A professional career in digital

photography might not be what you are looking for do if

you don't have the money for these kinds of equipment

that you will need to have.

Then, if you are merely wanting to enjoy digital

photography as a hobby then I should be able to assist

you out in letting you know what you may require for your

digital camera, accessories and all. For your first

digital camera the important thing is to not spend overly

to much on it. There is no call for in purchasing an

pricey digital camera until afterwards down the road once

you get a good deal more experienced with it. On several

digital cameras you could be capable to even utilize them

as a manual camera. You will merely have to work out how

to adjust all of it's operations. You'll be able to go

out and buy a book for dummies on digital photography as

well, those are always handy to own. They have them for

virtually everything you want to know. Just keep in mind

that owning the proper software for your digital camera

is really significant, it will help you organize all of

the images you have created.

You will need to purchase a bag or case to keep your

digital camera safe and all or any accessories that you

may have bought as well while you're active. Purchase the

camera that you feel best suits your needs and remember

you only require a basic one for beginners. They will

have all of the features you will need just to get going

and with this camera you'll even be able to take truly

great photographs.

Spending more doesn't all of the time mean that you're

buying the better product. If there's not a photographing

equipment store in your city then I suggest you will be

able to simply go online and look up anything you may be

interested in purchasing. You will be able to discover a

couple of really good deals on the internet if you're

wanting to save a little money, who would'nt like to do

that? Or you can ask around, you might have a friend that

can assist you out with your first time purchasing needs.

If there's a local store where you can go in and purchase

digital cameras for digital photography there will be

somebody in there that can help you with any questions

you could have about the product.

The difference between film and digital photography

There are many differences between film and digital photography. To most amateur photographers they do not matter much. They prefer the convenience, ease of use and lower cost of digital cameras and are not going to revert to the film age. However understanding the differences can help taking even better photos and can also help when debating with friends about the future of film.

Following is a list of differences that are important to understand. The differences are listed in no particular order.

The sensor: The most obvious difference between film and digital is the sensor used to take the photo. With film cameras a film sensitive to light is placed behind the lens. When a photo is taken the shutter opens for a predetermined period of time and light hits the film. The result is a photo “printed” on the film. To take a new photo the film has to be rolled and a fresh “clean” film is place behind the lens. With digital cameras a fixed electronic sensor (sometimes known as CCD) is situated behind the lens. The sensor is built from tiny light sensitive sensors each representing a pixel. When the shutter opens light hits the sensor and each pixel gets its “value”. Put together all the pixels comprise one photo. To take a new photo the photo is saved on a digital media and the CCD is electronically emptied.

What does a different sensor mean? The main difference is in the Depth of Field. Since digital sensors are smaller in size than a 35mm film the depth of field will be much higher and in fact in most compact digital cameras almost infinite. The result is that blur backgrounds can not be created.

The cost of a photo: Photos taken with a digital camera literally cost nothing. The photos are kept in erasable memory and thus can always be discarded at no cost. Also the photos you would like to keep can be copied to digital media such as a computer’s hard disk. With storage prices going down the cost of saving a photo on disk is practically zero. Film does cost money. With a film camera you have to pay for the roll of film, for developing the negative and for printing the photo. Every time you press the shutter button you spend money.

The capacity: With ever growing storage capacities digital cameras today can hold hundreds and sometimes thousands of photos on a single media. You can always have a few more in your pocket and changing is very fast. The result is that a digital camera has practically infinite capacity. You can shoot as many photos as you want and at the end of the day just dump them on your computer’s disk. Film cameras’ capacity is very limited. A roll of 36 photos can only hold 36 photos. After a roll is used changing to a new roll can take time and is not easy to do in scenarios such as darkness or a harsh environment. For that reason many professional journalists carry a few cameras on them and instead of changing rolls they turn and use another camera just so that they do not miss a shooting opportunity.

The feedback: One of the most important features of the digital camera is instant feedback. Almost all digital cameras include a small LCD screen. Once a photo is shot you can go back and watch it on that screen. The ability to see how the photo looks like results in better photos. If the photo is not good you can take another one. Being able to see the photos on the spot results in an educated decision how to fix a photo or how to better compose it. It takes a lot of the guessing away from photography. With film cameras there is no way to know how the photo on the film will look like when printed.

New shooting angles: Just a few days ago I took a great photo with my digital camera that I would have never taken with my film one. I shot a cat that was resting on little rock. I held the camera in my hand and positioned it down where it almost touched the ground and I started shooting. I probably took 50 or more photos. I immediately looked at the camera’s LCD to review my photos and make sure they were focused and had the cat in them. The result was one great photo looking at the cat from the ground. I can not imagine myself just lying down on the dirty ground with a film camera looking through the viewfinder and perfecting that one shot.

With digital cameras you can actually take photos without having your eye glued to the viewfinder. Overhead shots where you raise the camera over your head are much easier to do since you can still see what the camera is shooting by just looking up at its LCD screen.

Correcting photos: With digital cameras photos can be corrected using photo editing software. Some correction abilities are built-in to the cameras but many more are available as software packages for your PC. With film cameras what you get is what you get. After the film is developed it is very hard to make any corrections. Usually if corrections are absolutely needed the negative or the printed photo will be scanned (i.e. converted to digital) corrected and then printed again (in a long and costly process).

Changing conditions: Every roll of film is designed for best results in a specific environment. For example there are indoor and outdoor films or films with different light sensitivity. If conditions change rapidly a film camera user will have to either shoot with the wrong film, change the roll (and usually lose photos that were not used in the current roll) or use another camera with a different film in it. The results of shooting with the wrong film can be distorted colors (reddish photos for example), a grainy photo and more.

With digital cameras the characteristics of the sensor can be changed instantly for each photo taken. With a click of a button the camera can be put in an indoor or outdoor mode, low light, night photography etc. Some cameras will automatically sense the scenario and set the sensor mode accordingly.

The myth of quality: While it is true that film photography has its advantages the claim for superior quality is no longer true. As digital camera evolved the quality of high end digital SLR cameras is superb and in many ways even better than film. When considering quality you should also consider the quality in terms of composition and the scenario caught in the photo. With digital cameras’ high capacity, zero photo cost and instant adaptability to changing conditions photographers can produce better compositions and experiment more to get the best photo possible.

Longevity: We have also paged through old photo albums of our grandparents. The photo looked a a bit yellow, scratched and just plain “old”. Storage of printed film photos or even negatives results in quality deterioration. Digital photos on the other hand never lose their quality. A digital photo will be identical today and 500 years from now. As long as we remember to refresh the digital media every now and then and to back it up our photos can literally list forever and not lose their quality.

Digital Printing vs. the Traditional Method in Photography

Over the past years, technology has been continuously evolving and it has brought about improved graphics, artworks and printing. Newer breakthroughs in technology have also made printing affordable and easy to use.

For photographers too, printing has been made very easy and consultative. More photographers have switched from the old style to the modern enlarged printing with the use of digital inkjet printers.

With the modern use of digital cameras now taking into effect to make perfect digital shots, photographers no longer have to go through the process of scanning of the negatives from the pictures taken This is the one of the main reasons more photographers have switched over to the digital age technology.
Digital image printing is developed in corresponding software such as PhotoShop, CorelDraw and may other types of software. However, among them all, Photoshop is the most commonly used software application to meet the demands of clearer and precise digital prints. In fact, it has now become difficult for photographers to sell the equipment formerly used in the darkroom.

With the growth of printing technology, new issues have also sprung up, such as whether digital printing is really as aesthetic and long lasting. Critics wonder if digital printing can contain the same level of output as that of traditional images. For others, printing in inkjet printers is akin to imitating the original as they are printed with the use of ink, while the traditional method contained natural mixture for photography purposes. Nevertheless, even with the advancement in digital photo printing, a number of people still appreciate the old technique of printing.

In case you’re wondering about when the debate of digital printing over traditional was sparked off, it started with doubts over the long-lasting effect of inkjet prints over emulsion printouts. Critics have questioned if inkjet prints can endure the exposure longer and maintain their quality. However, some have proven that the traditional prints have not lasted as long and have slowly been fading in time as well. This observation strengthens the belief that no image can withstand exposure for a long period of time yet. Given that the developments in digital technology are ever increasing, questions and issues regarding its performance have been lessened for it has played its role well till date.

Inkjet prints have greatly contributed to giving an eventual effect in the uniqueness of images. The technique of inkjet printers involves spraying a number of tiny dots onto the paper, making the image sharper and more defined. This is perhaps a simple example of how the new printing technology has played its part of contributing to creativity and has now defined its own field of artwork.

The acceptance of inkjet prints has been quite unpredictable so far. In some exhibitions and art galleries, inkjet print designs are easily allowed, whereas some follow strict rules against the display of such prints. Alternatively, some designers still prefer the traditional emulsion prints to be part of their artworks. For those who rely on digital printing, the choice is based on practicality and reverting to the traditional technique is not longer financially viable. Digital printing has also made enlarging of prints and images much easier than traditional printing. It has been suggested that in time, when digital printing will continue its rise in the world of technology, many will make the switch over from the traditional method to the digital one.

The use of digital printing requires refinement in art skills, and accuracy and precision should be followed and maintained. To enhance printing abilities, the aid of Photoshop, or similar types of software can prove to be very useful for acquiring spectacular prints.

Cyan And Magenta Explained
Moving on to ink cartridges used in printers, anybody who has purchased these cartridges would know that there is no blue or red ink. Cyan certainly looks blue and magenta definitely looks red — but have you ever wondered why they simply don’t call them blue and red instead of cyan and magenta?

Here’s the explanation — both monitors and printers use different ways to produce colour. While a monitor is a light source, printers are light reflecting. The only common ground between the two is something known as dithering. It is the process of approximating a colour that cannot be displayed with uniformly dispersed dots of other colours.

This technique assigns differing colour values to adjacent pixels, thereby reducing the contrast between dots of different colours or shades and generates a more flowing, natural impression. When viewed from a distance, these colours seem to blend into a single intermediate colour. Dithering is similar to the half toning used in black-and-white publications to achieve shades of grey.

Coming back to the discussion, both monitors and printers use primary colours; however, a monitor uses primary additive colours red, green and blue, while printers use the primary subtractive colours cyan, magenta and yellow. In both cases, the primary colours are dithered to form the entire colour spectrum. Dithering breaks a colour pixel into an array of dots so that each dot is either made up of one of the basic primary colours or intentionally left blank to create white.

Cyan and magenta are in fact old printing terms for blue and red, but since some form of differentiation is needed between the additive and subtractive spectrum, cyan and magenta are here to stay!

How To Take Better Pictures With A Digital Camera

Today’s cameras make taking pictures a lot easier than the one’s of yesterday. There is always room for improvement, however. Use the following tips to help make your photos go from acceptable to great.

1. Always be aware of the background.

You don’t want to find trees growing out of people’s heads or a passing vehicle to draw attention from your subject. Sometimes moving your subject just a couple steps to either side can make all the difference.

2. Use available light.

If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book, then use the available light, and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale. Indoors, where there isn’t enough daylight, place your subject by a window and use your fill flash feature.

3. Aim your camera slightly down at the person’s face.

Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you see more of their face. Remember camera higher looking down and a three quarter view, it will slim your subject.

4. Remember your focus.

Get closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and there will be no doubt as to what the picture is saying.

6. Never put your subject dead center.

Put your just slightly off center; not a lot just a little. When you’re shooting groups of people, find the imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off center in your view through your lens or screen.

Following these tips won’t turn you into an award-winning photographer today, but you will be on your way to better, more powerful photographs that others will comment on for years to come.

Why I’ve gone Digital – And Still Keep My Old Camera

There has always been a debate about what is better. Traditional cameras using film, or the so called new technology, storing pictures in digital form on memory cards, in computers or on CD-Rom.

As being a photographer for more than half of my life, I stuck with traditional film for very long. About 7 years ago I started to supplement my work with photos taken the digital way. A point and shoot camera with just 640x480 pixel resolution was the most attractive gadget I had these days. Its lens was even capable of doing close-up work, using a macro switch.
That Fujifilm DX-7 was upgraded with a bigger Memory-Card and the camera served me well for several years.

Anyway, over time, I was still more satisfied with the possibilities my collection of Pentax SLR cameras gave me. It started with using the best lenses for each picture or just using a Zoom (which offers a range from wide angle to telephoto), changing the shutter speed to either stop or blur the motion of objects in the picture, use external flashlights, change the aperture openings to adjust the range of sharpness and lots more. Not forgetting the better picture quality I could get from a 35mm negative or slide. I was happy to use my heavy, solid metal camera.

The world changed for me when camera makers like Nikon and Canon introduced their Digital SLR Cameras. I went to my local camera shop every week and debated with the salesman about advantages and disadvantages of the models they had on sale. Also I checked with lots of users in online services to get first hand feedback on how these cameras performed. Finally, when Pentax introduced their Digital SLRs, I couldn’t wait much longer. I needed to have one of those.

With the Pentax 1st DS have a whole list of advantages over smaller Digital Cameras:

I can use the same lenses that fit my traditional camera
Have full control over speed and aperture
I can see the picture immediately after it is taken
I can shoot a series of pictures and choose the best (at no extra cost for film or paper)
A good resolution of 6 Megapixel which allows quite big prints
It weights more than a compact digital camera, so you can hold it steady more easily
Make use of all the filters, flashlights, lenses and accessories I have collected over the years.
Storing the pictures on the PC via a fast USB connection
Up to 1 GB storage on a SD Memory Card (about 380 jpg photos)
Selecting only the best photos for printing

With all these advantages of digital SLR Cameras, you may wonder why I still keep my old 35mm film cameras with me. First, it is emotional, and second, photographing the old fashioned way keeps me calm. You just need more time to produce an excellent, satisfying photograph (because you cannot see the result right after the shot).

Digital Noise - What Is It? What Causes It? And How Can I Get Rid Of It?

Digital noise in photos taken with digital cameras is random pixels scattered all over the photo. It is a similar effect as “grain” in film photography and it degrades the photo quality.

Digital noise usually occurs when you take low light photos (such as night photos or indoor dark scenes) or you use very slow shutter speeds or very high sensitivity modes.

When taking pictures with a digital camera an electronic sensor (also known as a CCD) built from many tiny pixels is used to measure the light for each pixel. The result is a matrix of pixels that represent the photo.

As with any other electronic sensor the CCD is not perfect and includes some noise (also know as white noise to hint on its randomness attribute). In most lighting the light is significantly stronger than the noise. However in extreme scenes where the light is very low or when a high amplification is needed noise levels can become significant and result in pixels in the photos that include more noise data than real photo light data. Those pixels usually appear as random dots or stains on the photo (for example white dots scattered randomly on the photo).

Understanding digital noise in various scenes:

low light (night photos or dark scenes): when the scene is dark the amount of light measured by each pixel of the CCD is low. When the light intensity is very low it can become too close to the level of noise naturally found in the CCD. In such cases some pixels can appear as noise because the noise level measured for them is significantly close or higher than the actual light intensity.

slow shutter speeds: when the shutter is kept open for a long time more noise will be introduced to the photo. A slow shutter speed translates to the CCD integrating more light per pixel. The effect can be easily understood as the CCD “accumulating” light in each pixel and measuring the total light over the shutter period of time. However at the same time the CCD is also “accumulating” noise. For that reason in slow shutter speed photos some pixels will appear as noise because for these pixels the amount of noise integrated is significantly close to or higher than the actual light measured.

high sensitivity modes: high sensitivity in digital photography is implemented by mechanisms that result in amplification. The CCD amplifies the measurements it takes. However there is no way to just amplify the actual photo light that falls on the CCD pixels instead the noise and the actual light are both amplified. The result is that the CCD becomes sensitive not only to light but also to its own noise. When too much amplification is applied some pixels will appear as noise.

While it is impossible to completely prevent digital noise there are a few options that allow you to significantly decrease it. When taking photos in low light scenarios such as night photos there are two main parameters to play with: sensitivity and shutter speed. Raising sensitivity creates more internal noise in the CCD while slowing down the shutter allows for more noise to integrate on the CCD. The amount of noise generated by both parameters is different. It is recommended that you set your camera to manual mode and play with a few different sensitivity/shutter speed pairs to find out the one that generates the least noise.

Some cameras include a built-in feature called “noise reduction”. Noise reduction is implemented by sophisticated software that can identify the noise pixels and remove them. For example the software can identify the noise pixels based on their randomness and usually extreme intensity gap between them and their neighboring pixels. Removing the noise can be implemented by interpolating a replacement pixel value based on its neighboring pixels.

If you do not have a built-in noise reduction feature or it does not work properly you can use a PC based software that removes digital noise. Many photo processing software include a combination of automatic and manual digital noise removal. Some software packages can also use a few photos of the same object to “average” them and thus remove the noise (relying on the fact that digital noise is random and the noise pixels will be different in each photo taken).

To conclude digital noise should be understood by any amateur or professional photographer. However for most photographers digital noise is not a practical problem even in low light scenarios usually digital noise is minimal and can be significantly reduced by simply turning on your camera’s noise reduction feature. For professional photographers who shoot in more extreme conditions digital noise can present a real problem and can be dealt with using a combination of optimizing the camera settings and removing noise with professional software.

The Hidden Art of Digital Photography

Computers and cellular phones, mobility and microchips – these are the trademarks of the world today. We live in a world continually changed by technology. Even the arts have continually changed due to technology. Think of it: from charcoal drawings to painting to photography to digital photography, we have come a long way in the visual arts. We have used various methods in capturing life and freezing time. New technology is continually being developed to make art easier and more fun. However, you should know that the art of digital photography is not as simple as aim and shoot.

The art of digital photography needs skill in order to pull off properly. Although some people may reason out that digital photography art can always be edited, many people do not really know how much work editing can be. Oh sure, we can say that technology has reached a level wherein a person needs to do practically nothing in order to achieve a great photograph, but of course, you need to know how to use the tools properly in order to do that.

The art of digital photography, in order to be truly mastered, needs three T's: Time, talent and tactical placement of equipment. No, that's not right. You need time, talent and treasure. Just what does this mean?

1) Time – one cannot be an instant expert in digital photography. You need to take the time to learn all about it. Even though you are some sort of protégé who has the talents of a genius, you actually need training to hone that talent. Remember that for all its power, a steamroller cannot be used to do the work of a hammer. There is wisdom in harnessing power properly.

Taking the time to train your self in the art of digital photography is something akin to sharpening a knife using a grindstone or forging a fine katana (that's the Japanese samurai sword) by heating it and folding it over a thousand times –it may be painful, but it is necessary to produce the best.

2) Talent – of course, you need a bit of inherent talent in order to be truly great at the art of digital photography. You need to have an eye for the subjects that would make a great photograph. Otherwise, you will only end up being mediocre in a field that requires greatness.

Of course, the proper training can actually enhance your inherent talent and help you sharpen your skills in the art of digital photography.

3) Treasure – as said before, you will need the proper tools in order to be successful in the art of digital photography. This means that you will need to invest a lot of cash. Although there are a lot of digital art photography equipment that can be bought at inexpensive prices, the best equipment needs some serious pocket digging. This, of course, tests your courage because there's nothing scarier to a man than having to pull out his wallet in the name of an untested interest.

Once you have invested money in the art of digital photography, there's no turning back.

The art of digital photography may seem like it requires a lot. However, in order to be truly successful in something you need love and love always requires sacrifice. You should keep that in mind.

Digital Photography Tips

Few families would consider leaving home for a vacation these days without reliable, high-quality digital imaging equipment-whether it's a camera or a camcorder.

Here are some tips from the experts at Canon to help you make the most of memorable vacation moments:

Always be prepared: Don't forget to bring backup camera batteries or memory cards so you'll never miss a shot.

Creativity is key: Sunsets and mountain ranges are always great backdrops for family pictures. By using your surroundings in interesting ways, you'll be able to create images featuring an array of natural color and light while showcasing your happy family.

Share the fun: Take turns and let others control the lens for a while. A camcorder such as the Canon DC40 DVD Camcorder is so easy to use that anyone in the family can take great video. The camcorder records direct to DVD, is compact and takes high-resolution, 4-Megapixel digital photos.

Strike a pose-No!: Candid shots of family members can capture their personalities much better than carefully orchestrated photographs.

Don't be afraid: Take your PowerShot SD600 Digital ELPH camera with you on a scuba diving adventure. The 6-Megapixel camera has a 16:9 widescreen mode for full-screen viewing on widescreen TVs and computer monitors, and is the right size for taking along on any deep-sea adventure.

Use the WPDC40 underwater camera case (to depths of 130 feet) to protect the camera and snap pictures in the surf.

Hello from abroad: Print and send photos before you even get home: The SELPHY CP510 photo printer is small enough to pack in your suitcase and lets you print pictures in under a minute. And the paper used for printing photos doubles as a postcard! How's that for multitasking?

Pack lightly: Hybrid digital products such as the PowerShot S3 IS let you capture still photographs and high-quality video. The 6-Megapixel camera has a 12x optical zoom lens, image stabilization technology for steady shots, a "movie snap" feature that lets you take still images while shooting movies, a widescreen mode for full-screen viewing and still leaves plenty of room for any souvenirs you might want to bring home.



Hybrid digital products can take photo stills and shoot movies without taking up too much space in your luggage.

How Do You Save Photos On Your Digital Camera?

Once you’ve taken photos with your digital camera, you need to store them somewhere. You could always leave them on the memory card, but that would get rather expensive, so let’s explore a few other options.

1. Transfer your images onto your computer. Most cameras come with a wire to connect your camera to your computer, a CD with a downloading program and an instruction booklet. Transferring the images is fast and simple. Once they are on the computer, you can delete the images from your memory card and start taking more photos.

2. Burn your images onto a CD. If you have a CD burner on your computer, you can make photo discs to store or share with others. When it comes to pictures, it is often best to use a CD that can’t be written over. This will save the heartache of losing precious photos. Label the CD and store it where it can be gotten easily when you need to see your pictures.

3. Store your images on a public web site. There are many photo-hosting sites on the internet. Some charge for the service, but many are completely free. You have the choice to password-protect your images or share them with the world. This option helps if your computer should crash. Your pictures are safe.

4. Print your images and place them in a photo album. Many people still like turning the pages of a photo album and reviewing the memories. This also makes it possible for those without a computer to view your pictures.

5. Create a photo gift. There are places out there that will take your digital image and place in on shirts, mouse pads, cups, calendars and numerous other items. These make wonderful gifts and provide a way to keep a cherished picture near at all times.

These are just a few suggestions. Using your creativity, you will come up with many more ideas.