Creative photography may be the most demanding of them all. That is because unlike commercial photography, your boss is your creative imagination and the artistic marketplace. And who knows from one week to the next what is considered artistic and what isn’t. It isn’t just poetic license that we are using when we talk about you following your creative muse when you use your photography as an expression of your art. You can look at a hundred settings and scenes and only you can know if any have the raw materials for a great artistic piece using your camera. It’s a huge drain on your emotional system and your creative side but it is also one of the most satisfying things you can do. And if you can make a living at it, so much the better.
But one of the problems any artist has is when that muse just won’t talk to you for a while. Never mind if you have orders in or deadlines that mean that you have to be creative on a schedule. She just won’t cooperate. So we need some tricks to get around these little dry spells and ways to can coax that muse back to work.
One trick is to use the normal highs and lows of your creative side. You know that when it comes to inspiration, its either feast or famine. Sometimes the creativity explodes like a volcano and you have to pick and choose only the best stuff to work on right away. Well when that flow is exploding, take some time and get some of that inspiration recorded. An inspiration journal either on paper or on tape can be used to capture it as fast as it comes out of that side of your soul.
Now this is where you are outsmarting that muse. When the well dries up, that inspiration journal can carry you through. You can start plucking the ideas out of there and developing them. Don’t worry if you don’t “feel” creative. You can ride the momentum of your creative high to keep your work moving forward. The other great thing about using your journal is often reading your inspiration from when things were popping in your imagination, that will prime the pump and get the fresh inspiration going again.
Above all, don’t panic when you feel your creative engines grind to a halt. Sometimes a day or so of rest will turn things around. Or go and see some artistic work done by others at the local museum. Seeing your fellow artists best work can do wonders to start the flow of ideas coming your way again.
Creative funks are as much a part of the process of creativity as the flow of ideas are. So give yourself permission to go through dry spells and don’t run yourself down about it. A trip into your archives to review your best work from the past is a great moral booster and it will help you remember that, yes, you are a creative person and, yes, you have done good work before and so, yes, you will do good work again.
The final trick is to give yourself permission to create some crap. In other words, don’t stifle the restarting of your creative mind by holding it to too high a standard of quality in every idea you get. You know from previous times of great creative flow that the good ideas come out with the bad. It doesn’t help to try to edit them as they flow. So by telling yourself, I am going to go make some bad art, that liberates your creative side to just be free to express as it wills. It could be that such a trick may be all it takes to unstop the pipe and get the creativity going again.
But it will flow again and you need to have the confidence that it will. And when it does the creative photography you start producing will be as good or better than anything you have done before.
As a photography enthusiast or even a newbie, you probably have been looking around shops for a good camera. With all the new models coming out and seemingly highly mechanized systems, you might find yourself in the middle of doubt and confusion. Which camera should you get? What is the advantage of one model over the other? Does it necessarily mean that bigger cameras give better results? To give you a hint, the elements of a certain camera system (flash units, lenses, etc) is more important to consider than the model itself. Canon SLR Digital Camera surfaces satisfaction for every element. The following is an overview of this camera.
Before going into the general picture, let us discuss the basics. The acronym SLR means single-lens reflex. From the term, it simply means that the camera has one lens that is used for picture-taking and view finding. It gives you command over a wide choice of settings that affects the quality of the photos you take. As you look through the viewfinder, you are directly looking through the picture-taking lens. What you see then will be pretty exactly what will be in the final outcome. Canon SLR Digital Camera offers this fantastic feature for you to even more enjoy photography.
Digital camera or also known as digicam is a camera that takes still photos or videos or both digitally. This means that it records images by means of electronic image sensor. Canon SLR Digital Camera obviously offers this option. When compared to a film camera, digital cameras are more convenient. It immediately displays images on a screen after they are shot. Images of film cameras are numbered; the image you take is what comes out. Digital cameras on the other hand can store thousands of images in a memory device and it also gives you the option to delete images and lets you choose whether or not to print a certain image.
But wait, you say, other cameras offer these features too. Indeed, you can find these features in other cameras but Canon SLR Digital Camera offers you more than just that. High-performance digital imaging is at its reach with this in hand. All the great features you see from different SLR cameras are perfectly combined in Canon SLR Digital Camera with its advanced color processing technology and imaging. It is the ideal tool to improve your pictures as it offers high quality images for transmission, archiving or reproduction, digital image editing and many more.
Canon SLR Digital Camera also comes with uncommon features like dust control, image stabilization, live view, and extra dynamic range. Additionals, however, come into place as you go to a higher level of camera group (consumer, semi-professional, professional and über-professional). Depending on what group you belong, you still get the total satisfaction from a Canon SLR Digital Camera because it caters to every level and photography experience. With all these within your reach, photography will never be the same again. Taking your photography skills to another level is not as difficult as before.
“Picture perfect” This is the quality a customer would like to get out of his or her shots. Whether a first time snapper or an experienced professional, everyone looks for the capture that is perfectly clear and can last a lifetime.
Buying your camera can be confusing if you do not have any idea what features you can consider in finding the best one. Other than that, it can also be impractical if you do not have enough knowledge of what can best suit your needs and lifestyle. Digital camera optical zoom is one of the most popular features in the world of digital cameras. Of course, you also need to consider the battery life, mega pixels, exposure control, and user-control, but the zooming feature is one of the essentials in taking pictures. In general, the zooming effect magnifies the image, enabling the photographer, to take a closer shot of the subject that is further away without physically getting close to it. In addition, it also helps eliminate unnecessary background and focus to the subject without interruptions.
Digital cameras, however, have two types of zoom lenses: digital and optical. Digital lens digitally scales up the pixels but not the final image itself. This results to poor resolution and picture quality. On the other hand, this makes digital camera optical zoom more popular. With optical lens, you can bring the subject closer or further away, without reducing the number of pixels and damaging the image quality. For professional photographers, carrying a gadget that has many features and functionality is a necessity. As taking pictures are their bread and butter, considering a camera that has higher resolutions and longer zoom range is their top priority. Moreover, because they are as busy as professionals always do, they do not want to spend so muich time editing and resizing. They want the picture as perfect as the actual even if they snap it with shaking hands or while on the go. Digital camera optical zoom offers the longest zoom range of up to 18x without compromising the quality of the image. It is therefore perfect for any photography jobs.
Nevertheless, in finding the best one, you will also need to consider your purpose and your budget. Digital camera optical zoom may be a little more expensive than the digital zoom. But then, even if you only intend to use it for your scrapbooks, seeing a photo that has a more realistic and color-rich background is truly satisfying. The fact that you are capturing an image for a long lasting memorabilia, it is but essential that you get a camera for all-time use!
Blurry pictures can become too disgusting especially if you do not intend to use it for special effects. Regardless whether you are a professional or an amateur, you want to see a clear and colorful outcome of your work. If you have the means, why settle for less? Digital camera optical zoom can last for a lifetime and you will surely value and treasure its every shot.Read more
You may have probably heard of the ancient saying: size matters. Well, that saying was invented back in the day when bigger meant better. But in today’s ultra-compact and miniaturized society, big has become equated to bulky, wasteful and expensive. The same applies for digital cameras.
Smaller digital cameras, like the Canon elph digital camera, have become the trend for picture taking. And there are good reasons for it too: • Easy to use The main reason why smaller cameras like the Canon elph digital camera are the new trend is because they’re user-friendly. You don’t need to memorize the manual on lens-selection, focusing, and film-selection to get the job done. A simple press of the button yields a picture that you can use right when you need it. Although these user-friendly cameras aren’t as powerful or as specifically crafted as the more technical and professional cameras, you won’t be sacrificing much in terms of picture quality. Leave the professional gear to the professionals, and get the user-friendly versions if you don’t plan to make a career out of picture taking.
• Easy to store Which is easier to store and carry around: a Canon elph digital camera that is as wide as your hand and weighs as much, or a professional camera that’s as big as your head and weighs as much too? If you’re a tourist or travel a lot, you may want to keep things light. Weight and storability are major factors to consider for picture-taking purposes, and you definitely don’t want a heavy piece of electronics dangling down your neck as you trek through the jungles of some exotic island somewhere in the Pacific. • Easy to share Yet another advantage that cameras like the Canon elph digital cameras have is their ability to hook up to computers and other image-storing devices. Such images can then be easily shared through flash drives, memory sticks or the Internet to those whom you’d want to share the pictures with. It’s a definite improvement over having to send a bunch of pictures by mail to those who you’d want to share them with. Not only is it less time consuming, but it’s also much cheaper as well: imagine the costs of having to develop a few dozen pictures for your family. That’s definitely nothing to sneeze at. • Easy to add features One thing that sets a Canon elph digital camera apart is the ability to edit and add features to the photo-taking experience: you add a sepia touch to a scene to add a little old-style feel to it, or you can opt for a more striking effect by enriching the colors to a picture.
With the ability to manipulate colors and effects, you’re now given the ability to add a little creative touch to the pictures you take. You can make a scenic shot more dramatic, or you can make a night-shot more vibrant and visible. It’s up to you and your creative juices. These smaller cameras which are easier to use, store, share and add features are a definite improvement over their larger, more ancient cousins. Thus, size really doesn’t matter: it’s what’s inside that counts.Read more
Every cat is proud of his or her friendly feline. Cats make perfect subjects in which to photograph. You can catch your cat and a variety of interesting and fun poses when you know how to take pictures of your cat. If you are interested in photographing your cat, here are some tips to help you get the best shots.
Catch your Cat Napping Nothing looks quite as relaxing as a cat taking a nap. Cats do sleep a lot, so if you take a picture of your cat napping, you have plenty of opportunity. The best time to take a picture of your cat is to catch it when it is asleep. You can take close-ups of your cat either as it sleeps, or gently wake your cat up for a relaxed look. For a nice shot of your cat, try gently rubbing your cat’s belly right when you want to snap a picture. This will encourage your cat to roll over on its back. Natural Sunlight When you think of a sleeping cat, where do most cats enjoy sleeping? You can usually find a cat napping in the sun. If you have a window that gets full or filtered sunlight during the day, then try to open the curtains or blinds to encourage cap napping. As soon as you see your cat sit in the sun, try to take a few pictures. When the sunlight is good, try a few shots without using your flash. This will give your picture a nice natural glowing effect. In addition, natural light often works best anyway because if you use a bright flash, your cat will usually close his or her eyes or the eyes could end up looking red.
Forget Posing and Planning Cats are much for posing. You cannot really ask that a cat stay and sit. When you take pictures of your cat, you should always have your camera on hand for candid shots. Look at your cat during the day and determine your cat’s schedule and favorite places. Work around your cat and you will get better pictures. Try to be spontaneous, and above all stay patient. It may take several tries to get a couple of great shots, but posing your cat rarely works. I have tried to get my three cats to pose and let me take a picture, but even though they sleep together, play together, they cannot stand or in this sit next to each without someone starting something. If I had three people to help and set back out of the picture, it might work. As you can see, cat’s needs to do what cats do and take your pictures that way. Get Help Another good tip for taking pictures of your cat is to get help. You can get great pictures of playful cats and kittens by having someone help you wiggle a string, the throw a ball or call the cat’s name. It is very difficult to try to play with your cat and take pictures at the same time. Your pictures will turn out much better if you get someone to help you. In addition, if you are trying to get a picture of your cat looking directly at your camera, have someone stand above you can call the cat's name, or make a noise that will prompt the cat to look directly above your head. If you are a patient and willing, you can get some excellent shots of your cat. Cats are so fun to take pictures of because you never know what they will do. Keep your camera handy and ready to go as soon as your cat springs into action. Cat’s normal activity seems to make us smile and laugh, their antics always may wonderful pictures. Pictures of kittens playing from birth on also make for some great pictures. If you have the camera, you will never miss the perfect picture.
Just having a camera is not going to get you the best pictures. Most of us who take photos are amateurs in the art world, but with the right equipment our photography can be elevated to a new height. Lenses are important especially when you settle on a medium you will train in. Most photographers choose one area of photography to specialize in. There are many types of lenses, the standard 35- 80mm, telephoto, and panoramic lenses.
Most cameras have a 35- 80 mm lens, even the point and shoot type. Often when you purchase a camera casing they will sell you the standard lens with it. All lenses are interchangeable. You do have to stick with the same brand of lenses as your camera and make sure the diameter is the same. The diameter of most lenses is the same as long as you keep to the same brand. The 35- 80 mm lens tells you the extent of reach. While you can take photographs several miles away with a standard lens you will not have the distinction of features in the print that you need. The standard lens is great for close up shots, such as flowers, spider webs, people, and pets. To gain more defined picture miles away you need a larger lens. There are many telephoto lenses in photography. One is the 75- 300 mm lens. While this is not as massive as other telephoto lenses you may see a professional walking around with it is a great step up for mountain and wildlife photography when your quarry is some distance away. When you begin to move from the 35mm into something larger it is best to have a stabilizer with the lens. A stabilizer will help you hold the camera steady for clear shots even if your hand moves a little bit. When you move into the world of the telephoto lens you can by accessories to help with angles and light. Photography in the world of panorama is another way to take spectacular landscape photos. The panoramic lens allows you to widen the photograph, especially with a digital camera. If there is a mountain range or glacier that you wish to get the whole picture without pasting them together in Photoshop the panoramic lens is the best way to go. I’m sure you have seen landscapes with a panoramic view and wished you could have that option. Even with film cameras you could have a panoramic lens to widen the photograph.
All three lenses are just the icebergs on the use of lenses in photography. Whether you are an amateur photographer or a budding professional you will want to maximize your photo taking skills. The next equipment you may want to purchase to help you with the larger lenses would be a tripod to stabilize the camera even more. Tripods are pretty simple and lightweight pieces of equipment and work great for portrait photography. All mediums in photography require moderate to top of the line camera equipment to produce a photograph with quality. Photography also relies on the photographer’s skill and eye. Lenses are just a small part of the photography world when you start to study the art. If you have any questions on lenses the best places to find answers are your local photography shop.