That’s where shooting in camera RAW comes in. When you shoot in RAW format several things come into play. First, the camera does not add any corrections to your digital file (this is also why you need to post-process your photos to get that “punch” you are looking for). What you see is what you get… No scene modes where the camera adds predetermined filters to improve the photo.

Second, there is no loss of image data like there is in JPEG format. When your camera records images in JPEG, there is a compression algorithym (that I don’t understand) that takes place. Essentially what happens is that the camera software “throws away” unnecessary pixels when the picture is saved. Then every time you open the image and save it again, more pixel data is lost. It’s crazy, but you can end up with a really grainy image if you do this enough times. That doesn’t usually happen, but it is possible.

Here is a photo I took using Raw with Photoshop. All I did to the original (on the right) was to add a bit of levels adjustment, crop, and burn the edges to draw the viewer’s attention into the center of the picture. You must admit that the left image is more dramatic than the right one.

After and Before Photoshop

You can open your photo in RAW format, but you can’t save it in RAW format. Once you make edits to your photo, you will have to save it in a different format. When using Photshop, you will definitely want to save it using the photoshop format which looks like this: ichybug.psd. The psd extension tells you it is a photoshop file. Now, unless you delete the original RAW file, you will always have it so that you can go back and start over. One really cool thing, too, about psd files is that there is no pixel loss in those either. You can open and save as many times as you wish without fear of “lossy compression”.

I know it’s nice to set your camera on “auto” and let it do your editing, but try camera RAW. It will give you a new appreciation for Ansel Adams (just kidding). It will give you more control over the final image as you decide how you want if to look and make the changes yourself. You can even take the same photo and create two totally different images using different editing techniques.

By the way, Photoshop Elements has many of the same capabilities as the CS4 software. There is also Adobe Lightroom 2.5, which many pros use for their editing. You can learn to use any of these software applications at Total Training by paying a monthly fee for total access to their video training. Try it for a month. They have some of the best teachers on the planet.

Don’t forget to visit www.digital-photographic-resources.com if you are looking for great choices in cameras, lenses, or photography tips.

Black Swallowtail on Zinnia

With digital cameras at their most affordable, anybody can be a photographer these days. Problem is, it takes more than a camera to take good pictures. But with the right training, you can learn to take better pictures.

It takes a certain eye, a way of seeing things, to take pictures that make people go “Wow!”. Fortunately, it can be learned. And the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

If you’re interested in becoming a good digital photographer, I recommend the “Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros,” a free report.

Start by taking a look at these most common mistakes people make when taking digital pictures:

1. Not knowing your camera – If you never read your digital camera’s manual and learn its features and how to use them, you won’t be able to make the most of it.
2. Not using a tripod – Tripods allow you to take the sharpest pictures even in low light. Use one as often as possible.
3. Not giving the camera time to focus – Digital cameras need time to properly focus and get the right exposure. It can take a fraction of a second or a couple of seconds. Account for this when taking pictures.
4. Relying too much on zoom – Using the camera’s zoom feature makes the picture grainier. Get as close to the subject as possible.
5. Taking pictures against the light – This makes the subject dark and the background too bright.
6. Relying too much on the flash -Natural light gives the best pictures, so use it as much as possible. Flash tends to make images look harsh.
7. Not taking enough pictures – It’s almost impossible to take the perfect shot at one try, so take many pictures. With digital photography, this doesn’t cost you extra. Try different angles and compositions.
8. Always putting the subject dead center – Learn the rule of thirds in composition, and you’ll have more interesting pictures.
9. Forgetting to check the horizon – When taking pictures with the horizon showing, make sure it’s level.
10. Selecting a low-resolution setting – Your camera will allow you to select different resolutions. Don’t be tempted to choose a low resolution just to save on memory space. Instead, buy additional memory for your camera and always take your pictures in high resolution.
11. Trying to take too much – Don’t try to include too many things in one picture, such as people and scenery. A picture is more effective when it’s focused on a single subject.
12. Not using the camera – You’ll never know when a good photo op will come up, so have your camera with you at all times.

It may seem like a lot to think about, but with practice, these things will become second nature.

For those who want to learn even more digital photography techniques, check out the free report, “Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros.” It’s a short but info-filled guide that will have you shooting digital pictures like a pro in no time.

Find out more about “Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros” here:
www.learndigitalphotographynow.com. Or, if you are still in search of the best camera for YOU, go to www.digital-photographic-resources.com.

Happy Shooting!

It takes a certain eye, a way of seeing things, to take pictures that make people go “Wow!”. Fortunately, it can be learned. And the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

If you’re interested in becoming a good digital photographer, I recommend the “Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros,” a free report.

Start by taking a look at these most common mistakes people make when taking digital pictures:

1. Not knowing your camera

If you never read your digital camera’s manual and learn its features and how to use them, you won’t be able to make the most of it.

2. Not using a tripod

Tripods allow you to take the sharpest pictures even in low light. Use one as often as possible.

3. Not giving the camera time to focus

Digital cameras need time to properly focus and get the right exposure. It can take a fraction of a second or a couple of seconds. Account for this when taking pictures.

4. Relying too much on zoom

Using the camera’s zoom feature makes the picture grainier. Get as close to the subject as possible.

5. Taking pictures against the light

This makes the subject dark and the background too bright.

6. Relying too much on the flash

Natural light gives the best pictures, so use it as much as possible. Flash tends to make images look harsh.

7. Not taking enough pictures

It’s almost impossible to take the perfect shot at one try, so take many pictures. With digital photography, this doesn’t cost you extra. Try different angles and compositions.

8. Always putting the subject dead center

Learn the rule of thirds in composition, and you’ll have more interesting pictures.

9. Forgetting to check the horizon

When taking pictures with the horizon showing, make sure it’s level.

10. Selecting a low-resolution setting

Your camera will allow you to select different resolutions. Don’t be tempted to choose a low resolution just to save on memory space. Instead, buy additional memory for your camera and always take your pictures in high resolution.

11. Trying to take too much

Don’t try to include too many things in one picture, such as people and scenery. A picture is more effective when it’s focused on a single subject.

12. Not using the camera

You’ll never know when a good photo op will come up, so have your camera with you at all times.

It may seem like a lot to think about, but with practice, these things will become second nature.

For those who want to learn even more digital photography techniques, check out the free report, “Shoot Digital Pics Like the Pros.” It’s a short but info-filled guide that will have you shooting digital pictures like a pro in no time.

Find out more about “Digital-Photographic-Resources”.

Photography is both about knowing how to use a camera and also knowing how to make decisions. Today’s media projects images that can be difficult to understand, and learning photography can help you to understand what you’re being showed every day on television, on the internet, and in movies. Photography is a good way to occupy your time, especially if you are a teenager, as it is fun and harmless. Besides that, it’s a great way to bring a community together for a project, such as photographing activities and gatherings.

When you buy a digital camera, you have to know how to take care of it to keep it in its best condition. In order to have the clearest photos possible, you must make sure to regularly clean your optic lens and keep from leaving fingerprints on it. If this happens, parts of your pictures will be blurry, and dirt can build up over time. Not all cleaning products are suitable for a camera lens, so make sure that you don’t use tissue paper, any household cleaning solutions, and definitely not saliva. Instead, you should buy the proper products at a camera store, in order to keep your camera at its best.

Understanding how your camera focuses will help you get better pictures. Just about all digital cameras these days have autofocus with two-step shutter release. In dark lighting, you will notice that when you press the button halfway down, a red light appears for a moment, but not in areas that are lighter. Then, when you press the button down fully, there is a flash. When you hold down the button halfway, that focuses the image, and when you depress it fully, the camera takes the focused image. If you want the subject of your photograph not to be in the center but still focused, first center them in the middle of the picture and focus the frame by pressing down halfway. Without removing your finger, reframe the picture with your subject in the right position, and take the picture. Your subject will still be focused.

One aspect of taking a pleasing photograph is depth of field. When you look at a picture, you will notice that all the area surrounding the focused subject is also focused. This area is called depth of field. In order to change the way the depth of field in a picture is seen, focused, and lit, you must change the width of your lens. The wider the lens is, the smaller the depth of field will be. To decrease the depth of field you can also move closer to your subject. To increase it, you can use a smaller lens or move further away from your subject.

A great technique that helps photographers create eye-catching pictures is the rule of thirds. This is a composition technique, create a pleasing balance between the different objects in a photograph. In order to use the rule, divide your screen into six different parts: three horizontal sections, and three vertical. The focal points, where the eye is attracted when it first looks at a picture, are where the lines intersect. Placing the subjects of your pictures at or near the focal points can help create a balanced and attractive picture.

Landscape photos are very popular and can be very nice-looking. The whole photograph will need to be in focus, unlike some pictures where only a certain part is in focus. In order to have the picture completely focused, you’ll need to have a short focal length. This will create a larger depth of field, and everything will be focused. In order to creating a pleasing balance between land and sky, or water and sky, you can use the rule of thirds. Furthermore, if you want a sense of three dimensions, you can have a subject in the foreground.

A tripod is a good investment in photography, especially if you want to take panoramic pictures. You’ll have to set your tripod in a place where you can swivel the camera smoothly from left to right, and not up and down. You will have to figure out where you want your pictures to overlap, so that you don’t have huge gaps in your resulting picture. Once you figure that out, you can swivel your camera in one direction, clockwise or counterclockwise, to take the pictures you want. Once you’re done, all you have to do is put them together with a simple graphics program or photo-editing software.

Recommended for More Help

Need to improve your digital photography techniques? Pick up your free digital photography guide for better photos…almost instantly. You can also find help for choosing a new digital camera at www.digital-photographic-resources.com.

Unfortunately, I am not one of those. I have to work at getting good pictures. I read and research all the time on the Internet. When I go to the local Barnes and Noble bookstore, I look at the Photography magazines for hours.

The point here is, where do you get good instruction? Personally, I am a fan of Scott Kelby and the NAPP team. They have always put out great tips and tricks for taking good photos and processing them afterwards. If you join their website, you have access to some really wonderful tutorials by some of the best teachers on the planet. You can also sign up for Kelby Training and pay a monthly fee to get excellent video training.

Another place to try is Online Training. They are more into the post-processing part of photography, but their site is excellent, none the less.

Training and practice have given me a few good photographs. Take a look at them on my website at www.thewayeyeseeit.net. I continue to snap the shutter, hoping to get that one that causes folks to go “WOW!”

I use Photoshop CS4.

Hey, did you know you can get Photoshop products for 80% below retail at the Adobe Education Store. — That is if you are an educator or a secondary student? Just thought you might be interested. (That’s the only way I could do it.)

Otherwise, I would use Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate
(Full $99.99 $59.99 )

OK, so I came across this new plugin for Photoshop (and it’s not just a plugin – there is a stand alone version if you don’t have Photoshop.) It’s called Green Screen Wizard.

Have your heard of Chroma Key processing? It’s been used in video for years. Like when the weather dude is standing in front of the weather map, but he really isn’t. Instead, he is in front of a green screen, and they can superimpose his body in front of the weather map.

It’s really funny when he wears a green tie, and you can see the weather map where the tie is.

Well, the makers of Green Screen Wizard have taken this chroma key concept and created software that is for photographers.

It is a great product, making the process sooo much better than “cutting” out your model and “pasting” him or her into a new background. I have done this so many times, and it takes quite a bit of skill and time to do it right. Even then, it may look like unnatural.

Here’s one I did using the cut and paste method. It’s my granddaughter standing in the doorway of a 10″ tall Lincoln Log house. Took me probably an hour.

However, now all I need to do is put the subject in front of a green (or blue) screen, shoot the photo and process the image with Green Screen Wizard. The makers have used a formula that actually integrates the two images together so it does not look pasted.

I suggest you give it a try. You can download a free demo of Green Screen Wizard to try it out before committing your hard earned cash.

Of course, you will need a screen. Green Screen Wizard also has a screen you can buy (surprise!), but I have checked prices, and theirs is actually cheaper than any I could find on Amazon or the photo sales sites.

Oh, did I mention that this is NOT just a plugin for Photoshop. You can get the software as a stand alone application, too.

Read my real review HERE. There is much more information and some great sample photos.

Here is a blurb from dpreview (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09021804canonsx200is.asp) on the SX200 IS:

Cameras with IQ
From today Canon are making AUTO mode different. The latest range of Digital Still Camera products launched incorporate a new smart system that uses Scene Detection Technology, which along with other advanced Canon technologies, leads to one of the most comprehensive and clever AUTO modes ever seen on a digital camera. Whilst complex in technology, Smart AUTO still delivers the peace of mind and ease of use for point and shooters that has always been expected from selecting the familiar green icon mode.

With intelligent and integrated use of key functions such as focus, exposure, ISO sensitivity, flash, dynamic range adjustments and Intelligent Contrast Correction, Canon Cameras have never been so smart. Added to these Canon Motion Detection and Face Detection Technology plus advanced Noise Reduction, together with pleasing colour rendition all delivered by the DIGIC 4 processor, mean when selecting AUTO mode on these latest models, users can be assured of the best in image quality even in more challenging shooting conditions.

Smart Auto overview:
Using Scene Detection Technology, Smart AUTO can distinguish parameters allowing the camera to carry out optimum processing for a shot by:

* Detecting people
* Evaluating Distances
* Evaluating Subject and camera movement information
* Analysing Scene Brightness
* Analysing Colour

You have to admit that these are some amazing advances in point and shoot technology. I invite you to take a closer look at my review of both of these AWESOME Canon Powershot SX digital cameras by clicking here.