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Posts Tagged ‘cameras’

Many keen camera users have a compact, sophisticated point-and shoot camera which is used for most if not all of their photography needs. Most of these cameras are from manufacturers such as Canon, Sony or Samsung. It the camera is fairly new, it probably features a high megapixel count and a host of other fabulous technical features, not to mention its probably sleek and sexy too.

Although you have all these fabulous features, you may be puzzled, disappointed or frustrated at your inability to take a quality photo at night or in low-light such as indoors away from a window. You may have found that photos you take at night come out either blurry, horribly washed out by the flash, grainy/noisy, lacking in color, or all of the above.

Why is this? The fact is that almost without exception, any camera will take sharp, clear, photos in good light ” such as the light outside during the middle of the day. It is much more difficult for your camera to take a photo that approximates what your eyes see when the light is dim. The primary reason for this is that in order to gather enough light to expose a bright enough photo your cameras shutter has to stay open a lot longer when the light isnt good. Because it is impossible to hold a camera completely steady with your hands alone, your photos will therefore be blurry. To get around this, you could use flash (which often looks unnatural and gives people a nasty-looking complexion) or a high ISO (which will add ugly digital noise), but these methods have their own problems.

Listed below are three tips to help improve your low-light photography:

1) When you purchase a camera, ensure it is equipped with an ‘optical image stabilization’ feature. This technology refers to a sensor inside the camera that will compensate for any movement from the person holding the camera and correct it to make sure you have a quality photo.

2) Try turning off the flash and asking your subjects to remain very still. Have your subjects move nearer to you in low-light or simply play around with your cameras Night Mode setting in the menu. It is important to remember that in Night ode, you must remain very still.

3) If the subject of your low-light photo is non- moving such as a building, try bracing the camera against something. A small tabletop tripod is easy to carry and works great, however, in a pinch, a tree or light post can serve the same purpose.

Tobias Sterling is an experience photographer who is passionate about sharing his knowledge with fellow photograpgy enthusiast. His articles including Sensual Fine Art Photography and Photographing Portrait and People can be found on Clivir.com – the free learning community.

I grew up in a family of photographers. My grandfather used to love to tell the story of how he made his first pinhole camera, and how he stole developing paper from one of the merchants at the Sunday market, and how the owner called after him Ill box your ears in, young lad, Ill box your ears in. I spent hours in my youth, posing for still photographs in the garden, with my brother and sister. It was my sister that inherited his passion and went on to graduate from a photography diploma course, having successfully photographed over 100 door knobs in black and white. Take a nature hike with her and shell stop to photograph unusual plants (she also likes to steal clippings from peoples gardens and replant them!).

Here are a few tips of how to take or appreciate photographs:

1: Follow the natural eye movement from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. This ones from my grandfather, who at my sisters request wrote a how-to guide to take a good picture, for my sister, in his painstakingly meticulous hand-writing. The other day, in the doctors waiting room I tested the reverse, and concluded that I seldom look right-to-left. The idea is to put the focus of attention in the top right-hand corner.

2: Ask permission afterward. About a year ago, I went into a hole-in-the-wall bar/cafe with Richard, a photographer friend of mine, who proceeded to show me a stack of, literally hundreds, of photos, for a business project in mind. He then got out his camera and took the bartenders photo. The bartender was actually not at all pleased with this, and had to be placated. My best people pictures have been taken when the persons not aware that Im about to take their picture. Its more natural, and a lot more fun.

3: Take a cerebral snapshot first. Seasoned globe-trotter and travel writer, Paul Theroux, wrote how once he was in Italy and he saw a dozen white doves spill out of the eaves of a cathedral, but he didn’t have a camera with him to capture the moment. He invites people with cameras to try capture the picture in their mind, and to see if its story-worthy. If you can imagine taking out the snapshot and talking animatedly with friends or other photographers about what you managed to capture, then you’ve got something.

I may not have inherited my grandfathers passion for taking pictures, but I do like the eye for colored doors of quaint town cottages, and for a face of someone who’s lived an interesting life.

Originally, just as with movies, all film for still photography was black-and-white or sepia. It wasnt until the mid-20th century that color photography became feasible for the masses. Obviously color photography is now open to anyone, and given that we see the world in color, why would we want to deliberately remove color from our photographs?

This question is unique in that it brings about the answer of identifying when to take a black and white photograph or when to remove color from a photograph using an editing program such as Photoshop.

The answer is quite simple, to simplify the photo. Using black and white or removing the color from a photo enables all distracting elements to be eliminated. This process is similar to that of blurring the background or playing with the frame of a photo.

Now that we have answered the why to our question, let’s explore the when, or more precisely, the three main situations one might wish to remove color from a photo.

# Color Portraits – Taking a photo of someone using color photography reveals a close up to their facial flaws. Things such as skin discolorations and blemishes become a distraction to the viewer and leave them unable to see the true emotions, life and personality of the person in the photo.

# In abstract fine art photography

Abstract Fine Art Photography is the art of capturing shapes and patterns. Using color photography for this art form defeats what the photographer is trying to accomplish as color distracts from the main subject.

Note that black-and-white photographs are generally more tolerant of contrast, so fine art photographers will often strip out color from their photographs and then ramp up the contrast (again, using an image editing program).

# Monochromatic Photography – In this situation, black and white usually works best.

Having a photo that is lacking brilliant color is distracting. Hence, it only stands to reason that it be stripped and made a black and white photo. Just as color can be distracting, so too can be the lack of lustrous color.

Finding the best underwater video cameras in the market can be as gruelling as picking the right outfits in your closet. Oceans, seas and lakes are great venues to capture memories; and in some aspect, these are also the places where great and wonderful occasions are housed and done.

With such duly well kept instances, how can we respectfully preserve it? Cameras and video cameras are great gadgets to begin with. But with the advent of many manufacturers together with the advancement of technology, how can we choose that perfect video camera? Should we spend more for it or settle for the cheap ones?

Im sure these are some of the questions any consumer would be asking before purchasing a specific video camera. And why shouldnt we when we ought to have the best out there, without compromising the quality and much more the cost. Therefore, let me give you some pointers on picking the best underwater video cameras.

Tip #1: DECIDE WHETHER TO BUY A VIDEO CAMERA OR A SEPARATE HOUSING. There are video cameras that can stand alone under and above water. Whereas, there are also a variety that you can simply concentrate on buying a waterproof exterior instead of the gadget itself. Thus, if you already have an existing video camera then I recommend you search if a possible housing would be made available. But if you are still considering buying an underwater video camera, then I suggest you look for trusted camera brands that can withstand the water even without a faade in place. To name a few would be the Olympus SW Series, Sanyo and Canon.

Tip #2: CONSIDER THE VIDEO CAMERAS USE. Different cameras are designed for different uses. Thus it would be important to assess the probable use of your video camera. If it just for keepsake purposes like taking memorable videos, then I suggest the Panasonic SDR-SW20. It can roughly go to 5 feet and can easily be edited with a movie maker. On the other hand, if you are a video recorder of anything under the sea then a bigger video camera that can comply with your specification would be better like the Sea Viewer camera line. They provide durable products when it comes to underwater video capturing with their reliable 8th generation series.

Tip #3: ASSESS THE VIDEO CAMERAS FUNCTIONS. It would be important to check the different functions of a video camera since there are functions that are made available only to a particular brand. Thus, you need to seek what area of video camera capturing would deem important on your end. Do you need a flash or not when shooting underwater? Do you want to instantly edit the videos immediately even tweaking it inside your video camera? Perhaps it would be advisable to list down the utilities you might need and compare it to some existing cameras.

Tip #4: ALWAYS CHECK AND COMPARE. Since there are a wide variety of video cameras with different specifications and functionalities to offer, it is a must to get the ones that can fully provide you with your needs alongside with its cost. Thus, if you happen to see a video camera brand that suits your taste, it would be better to check first for probable user reviews found on the Internet or some technologically oriented magazine. Much more, find other brands that are somehow close to the one you like and compare if the price is reasonable or not.

So try these helpful tips and maybe you can set your mind on what camera you would really like and need. Perhaps the best underwater cameras so far are the ones that you chose for yourself, perform the functions you like and need with the convenience you deserve. Thus, before you decide to purchase one, make sure you have your own standards ready.

Finding the best underwater video cameras? Perhaps you want to take your photography level and skills by taking it a notch higher with the most unusual venue, the waters. Taking pictures under the sea irregardless if you are snorkelling, diving and some plain swimming is quite hard considering that there are only a handful of cameras that can offer waterproof protection. But once done, can give one a sense of fulfilment for keeping the experience alive.

Thus if you have plans to purchase an underwater video camera, there are some things that needs to be taken into consideration. Perhaps these are a few dilemma questions you have in mind right now. Is there such a thing as best underwater video cameras? Do I need to spend more just to have one for myself?

Im sure these are some of the questions any consumer would be asking before purchasing a specific video camera. And why shouldnt we when we ought to have the best out there, without compromising the quality and much more the cost. Therefore, let me give you some pointers on picking the best underwater video cameras.

Tip #1: DECIDE WHETHER TO BUY A VIDEO CAMERA OR A SEPARATE HOUSING. There are video cameras that can stand alone under and above water. Whereas, there are also a variety that you can simply concentrate on buying a waterproof exterior instead of the gadget itself. Thus, if you already have an existing video camera then I recommend you search if a possible housing would be made available. But if you are still considering buying an underwater video camera, then I suggest you look for trusted camera brands that can withstand the water even without a faade in place. To name a few would be the Olympus SW Series, Sanyo and Canon.

Tip #2: EVALUATE ON WHAT OCCASIONS WILL YOU USE THE UNDERWATER VIDEO CAMERA. Whether it would be an amateur video shot or taking from an experts view point, it is a must to suit the camera on the instances it would be used for. It would be very na”ve to take a camcorder several depths below the sea when it can only withstand shallow feet. You only not destroy the gadget but you are also missing the opportunity to capture a memory. The camcorders functionalities would be solely based on its use. Thus, dont purchase high end cameras when you will only use it for less than ten minutes recording. You are simply not maximizing its potential and you are also wasting your resources.

Tip #3: CHECK IF THE UNDERWATER VIDEO CAMERAS FUNCTIONALITIES SUIT YOUR NEEDS. If you already filtered out the possible use of the underwater video camera then its time to lay out some of the functionalities that you think is necessary. For instance, would you need a camera that is capable to generate flash underwater? If so find the brands that allow such. Consequently, if convenience is what you need say an immediate photo and video editing, finding the perfect camera that can cater to this would be very useful and nonetheless practical. It would be helpful to list down some of these notes and match on some underwater video cameras that can give you such.

Tip #4: CHECK, REVIEW AND COMPARE. Video cameras with the different companies offering such somehow have quite the same built in default functions. They only have a handful of edge over the other competitions. Thus, if you already have that camcorder in mind, it would be very helpful to check on its reviews and some user ratings and comments. This will not only help you assess how good or bad the product is but will also give you an overview on the things to expect once you already purchase it. Being contemptuous is fine as long as you get your moneys worth. In addition, compare the brand towards the other brands and evaluate if this one is way better than the next and vice versa.

I know for sure that these are some basic tips to help you decide on the best underwater video cameras for you. There are some things that need to be taken into consideration that is not listed nor stated above. It is important to make a wise purchase rather than venting out after a product has been paid.