Photosmastery

By John Foster

The very word scrapbooking brings back all my childhood memories. Scrapbooking was one activity that used to fascinate me and I would always find time to indulge in making my scrapbook. Today, times have changed, but making a scrapbook is something which has not changed, in fact today you will find many new additions which have made the whole process of creating a scrapbook, all the more interesting and appealing. Scrapbooking is one of the most popular hobbies and even today this is one hobby which is not on the wane. In fact, with the new innovations in the field of technology, you will find that more and more people are getting interested in making a scrapbook. This is one hobby where you can give vent to all the creativity through the personal touch that you can put in the scrapbook. Digital scrapbooking is one of the newest styles in the field of scrapbooking and as compared to traditional scrapbooking method, this is easier to do.

In digital scrapbooking you can make use of a computer to enhance the pictures that you use for the scrapbook. Due to the increase in the use of digital photography, you will find a large number of scrapbooking enthusiasts using pictures taken by a digital camera for scrapbooking. With the help of digital scrapbooking, you can retouch the pictures, perhaps you would like to remove certain elements in the picture, enhance some aspects or probably blur some other aspects of the picture. This will help you in making a scrapbook in just the way you like and that is one of the major advantages of digital scrapbooking. Whenever a new thing enters the arena in any sphere, it is natural to find some people who welcome this and some people who vehemently oppose this. So, it is very natural to find scrapbook enthusiasts who are dead against digital scrapbooking.

In digital scrapbooking one can also come across many types of software which help them in making a beautiful scrapbook. There are also free layouts available on the web which can be used for making a scrapbook of your choice. Since these things are available online, one can actually use the trial and error method to make the scrapbook just like they want. You can choose different backgrounds and see how things look with the collection of pictures and words that you have selected. A scrapbook is all about putting up pictures, words, phrases, events and happenings in an attractive manner, so that you can preserve all those memories for a lifetime.

Digital scrapbooking has another advantage which is perhaps best among all the advantages that one can enjoy with this type of scrapbooking. You can upload the scrapbook online and invite friends and family from all over the world to see this. For this you can go to sites which allow you this facility and let me tell you, there are several sites that do so. You just need to browse the web and find out such sites, or probably you could join an online community for scrapbooking and from there you can easily find out the information that you are looking for.

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

 

John Foster has special interest in arts. He gives advice to anyone who wants to know about online art school and scrapbooking and others. He refers to www.layersofourlives.com in many of his sessions for art school class for scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking and DIY scrapbooking art,Scrapbooking Book.

No sun, no fun? Don’t kid yourself. A lot of us think of night time being dark and dreary and prefer to stay indoors - but do you realise what you are missing out on. When light starts to fade it’s the perfect time to grab the camera and explore the magical scenery that the night brings us.
Urban landscape can be a real bore to photograph during the day; the dull grey buildings are lifeless and can sometimes leave you feeling as stiff as the buildings themselves. But when light from the day starts to fade our cities and towns are turned into a magical vista of outstanding light jumping out to be photographed.

So do you have the skills to take successful night time portraits? If not, the following tips are here to help you improve.

The first thing to decide is what film to use. If you are shooting static subjects such as buildings or street signs a slow film is recommended - the Fuji Velvia with an ISO of 50 or 100 will work best. If you are shooting fast moving subjects use a fast film - ISO 400

There is no lens that will help to get better night time images. It is best to carry a variety. Make sure you have a telephoto lens. This will help to zoom in on buildings and get rid of any unwanted dark areas.

Use the same composition rules that you use when taking landscape pictures.

Lead with lines: leading with lines into the main part of the scene will draw your viewers attention into your image. These lines don’t have to be straight. Lines, such as streetlights, the light from moving traffic, or any fences that are brightly lit may work successfully.

Foreground interest: Simple foreground objects will give your night-time image a greater sense of depth. This is the same as if you are photographing a landscape image during the day.

Natural frames: Frame your scene with the elements all around you. This will focus attention on the main part of the picture. Example: If you are taking an image of a building use the dark buildings around it to frame your image.

Remember, always use a tripod. Your exposure time is going to be long - it’s impossible to get sharp images at night with a hand-held camera.

Exposure: This is probably the hardest part of taking night time images. How do we calculate the proper exposure? Colour temperature varies when working with artificial light, so different exposure times are necessary. It’s best to bracket your shots to get the perfect result. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of film to get the perfect result.

If you are interested in photographing the moon, use an ISO of 100 - shoot with a shutter speed 1/125 and use an aperture of f/11.

Safety: When working at night you need to be visible. This is for your own safety. Don’t take risks for an image. A lone person walking around a building may draw attention. Seek permission, if possible, before you start your photo shoot. Stay clear from restricted areas.

Many buildings are best photographed at night, if possible get shooting when there is some detail left in the sky. You don’t need the most expensive camera on the market to get great night images - bring plenty of film and a good tripod.

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About the Author: TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer.
He frequently writes for the Art site Goldprints.com and the Gift ideas site shop-4us.comTo view or buy some of his images visit his on-line gallery of - pictures of Ireland

Winter brings out the toughest elements in our climate, with many people putting away their camera bags ‘till early spring. But, if you do put away your camera you are missing out on the raw beauty that this magical season brings.

Here are a few tips to make the trip more enjoyable.

1. Wear the right clothes: It’s very important to wrap up warm when out shooting winter images. The winter season brings the toughest elements, so if you are planning to spend a few days out and about always be well prepared.

2. Watch the weather: It’s very important to know what the weather is going to be like. You don’t want to travel for a couple of hours and then hear a weather report that tells you that: the weather is wet for the next few days. During the winter months the weather can dramatically change in a matter of hours.

It’s always advisable to let someone know where you are going and which route you’re planning to take. If you do get injured or ever caught in a storm someone may be able to help.

3. Carry only what you need: Carry only the essentials. You don’t need to upload your camera bag with every piece of equipment you own. If you are going to be out taking pictures all day you are much better off going as light as possible. Carrying a light load will also help preserve energy. You could be climbing icy rocks or crossing snow filled hills; a warm flask would serve you a lot better than a third camera.

4. Look for detail: Snow, ice and frost bring out texture and atmosphere in most subjects. The early frosty morning is an ideal time for close-up photography. The frosty morning also brings out patterns in our landscapes.

Take care where you place your camera: if you are taking pictures early in the morning try placing it at oblique angles to the sun - this will give your images strong shadows. This will also add mood to your landscape images. Once you have found the perfect spot pay extra attention to foreground interest as this will add depth to your image.

5. Expose carefully: Snow and ice are extremely difficult to expose properly. Snow usually confuses your cameras metering system or your hand held light meter. When you take a light reading from snow you will automatically get an underexposed image. The meter will record the snow as grey.

Now is the time to start bracketing your shots. If you bracket your shots add 1 - 2 stops of light to compensate for your light meter reading. Using an 18% grey card, which I described in a previous article, should also give you a perfect light reading.

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About the Author: TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape Photographer. If you are looking for more tips visit: Photo tips. To view some of his images visit his on-line gallery: Pictures of Ireland