Photo Walks Today

Do you want to take sharp photos without
slogging through a manual?

This class is for you.I thought I knew a few thingsabout cameras. I bought my first camera over 30 years ago.

 I’ve been taking pictures for years and worked in the photography field, as a photographer and darkroom technician. So, it came as a bit of a surprise when I purchased my first digital camera and found something that didn’t even look like a camera!  When I turned to the manual, a thick, small thing, with even smaller type I wondered if I could master this new technology.

I did!

And I found it was a lot easier than I first thought. And the features these little cameras offer! You don’t have to have a special lens to capture a butterfly on a flower, or have to take a deep breath and hold it – hoping for a sharp picture.  The advances in photography amaze me! These little cameras have come a long way. And the good news is, they are
getting easier to use. Now, everyone can use a digital camera and get great looking photos. You don’t even have to have a computer to have the photos printed.

In this online course We’ll cover the basics every camera owner needs to know to get the maximum enjoyment from your camera.

Including:

• camera settings
• composition
• moving images from camera to
  computer
• removing red-eye
• storing images on your computer

You’ll learn the tricks and techniques to getting professional photographs from your digital camera.
You’ll understand how to use your camera, including what all those dial and buttons are. No longer will you just click the shutter and hope the camera is set up right! You’ll
be confident that you’ll get a shot worth sharing of your favorite subject – your dream vacation, your children’s birthday party,
graduation day, the wedding party or that wonderful sunset.

Online Course: February 8th 2010
Take this class without leaving the comfort of your home!
Taught by Cindy Shebley
Dial in and watch your computer monitor.
When: Wednesday February 08

Time: 5:30 pm (pacific) to 7:30 pm (pacific)

We’ll open up the phone lines for
questions at the end of the session, so bring your camera, questions
and enthusiasm – and never leave the comfort of you home!

Includes a downloadable PDF file withthe presentation so you can follow along with your camera instead of taking notes.
This class is size is limited so register now!

Use the PayPal button to reserve your seat!Price: $45.00

Lynnwood Washington – January 2010

This looks like a fantastic event! Anyone want to join me – I’m thinking of attending.

2-days of Digital Photography Education
Join us for this exciting event
This unique event is focused on digital photography education and targets photo enthusiasts of all ages, skill levels and interest. This exciting event will feature over 20 hours of educational seminars taught by the best local and regional photographers and photo educator.
 
The education sessions are divided into three tracks, Hardware and Software, Creative Techniques and Business and Travel.

More information: http://www.navphotoevent.com/?q=node/1

Lynnwood Washington – January 2010

This looks like a fantastic event! Anyone want to join me – I’m thinking of attending.

2-days of Digital Photography Education
Join us for this exciting event
This unique event is focused on digital photography education and targets photo enthusiasts of all ages, skill levels and interest. This exciting event will feature over 20 hours of educational seminars taught by the best local and regional photographers and photo educator.
 
The education sessions are divided into three tracks, Hardware and Software, Creative Techniques and Business and Travel.

More information: http://www.navphotoevent.com/?q=node/1

The Gray Card in Digital Photography

To purchase a gray card on Amazon Click Here
18% Percent Neutral Gray Grey Card Digital Studio Location Photography

 
When taking digital photographs, a grey card can be an essential accessory in creating white balance and getting precise representation of colour. A digital camera will record the colour of light very accurately. The eye and brain are extremely adaptable to variations; digital is not, it records what is there. Something might look white to us, but if it has a colour cast, that will show on the digital file.

By using a grey card, the camera can be set to a true white balance, resulting in a more accurate recording of all the colours. This is particularly important when there is mixed light from different sources. There might be a mixture of daylight and tungsten and even a bit of fluorescent thrown in.

A grey card is a piece of card which is grey. These days, they are often made of a more durable material than card but they will be a neutral grey. The older photographic grey cards are not suitable because they are not neutral enough. They were used for judging exposure rather than judging a white balance and colour neutrality.

Photographic grey cards have a reflective surface of 18%. Digital grey cards usually have a reflective surface of 18% or 25%. That doesn’t matter; what does matter is their accuracy, they must be neutral grey.

The grey card is put into the image so that the light falling on the subject also falls on the grey card. The white balance reading is taken from the card. The photograph should be taken in Raw and not as a JPEG in camera.

Short of using a proper copying bench with flash or tungsten lighting, then the best way to photograph a painting is outside. Choose a bright day with diffused light, and be out of direct sunlight. The only way to make an accurate white balance is to use a grey card.

The sample on the left uses a card with a true white, an 18% grey and a black. Setting the image to these tones will give as accurate interpretation of the colours as possible. Without a grey card there is no chance of getting the colours of the paints looking like the originals.

Where lighting conditions are completely controllable, such in a studio, a grey card is still an essential gadget. Exposure and colour balance need to be consistent in every image. Relying on the camera’s automatic reading of the conditions means that when the subject is changed, the readings will change. With a grey card, the digital photographer can take a specific reading from a single target point and the resulting settings for the white balance will be good for all the images in that lighting, even when the subject matter is changed.

Two objects might look the same colour in one type of light, but can look different colours in a different light source. For example, a matching scarf and handbag might look different colours in a second type of light. This is due to the amount of ultra-violet light the objects absorb and reflect. Using the grey card can help minimize the problems here.

The Cube takes the grey card to a more precise level. The six sides of the cube are black white and grey; but it also has other features.

A Cube is particularly useful in a studio environment.
The top chrome ball will catch specular highlights which is an extreme highlight containing no detail.
The white face is the brightest highlight still retaining useful detail.
The grey face is an 18% grey for setting mid-tone neutrality and colour temperature.
The black face is for the shadow, still retaining some shadow detail.
The black hole, referred to as the Black Trap, is an absolute black and is used as a reference point for the black face.

More on the Cube and the Gray Card can be found at: The Gray Card

Guest Post By:

Duncan Wherrett is an experienced photographer and user and teacher of Photoshop
Photoshop Tutorials

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duncan_Wherrett

To purchase a gray card on amazon.com click below
18% Percent Neutral Gray Grey Card Digital Studio Location Photography

Here in the Puget Sound we’ve been snowed in for weeks! All that wonderful white stuff is a refreshing break from out normal gray skies and it’s natural to want to capture your yard, loved ones, pets and Christmas lights.

The problem is, your camera’s job is to make everything a ‘netural gray’ color. This setting works perfect for most everything you take pictures of, except… snow.

Here’s a couple tips to help you turn those dark muddy photos into bright white snow pictures.

First – don’t trust your camera’s automatic settings.

palm trees in the snow

snow photos with and without flash

    We’ve had so much interest in a Photo Editing Class that Dany Byrne and I will be teaching an online series on PhotoShop Elements.

  This online class covers the basics of PhotoShop Elements. We’ll help you get the most out of your camera and produce award winning pictures that you’ll be proud to share!

  This course will meet three times – January 10, 17 and 24th from 2:00 -3:30 pm Pacific Time. 

  We’ll take you through, step-by-step the basic tools provided in PhotoShop Elements. The modules are designed to show you how to use the tools, allow you a week to get familiar with them, and then we’ll move on to the next level.

 For more information or to register – click the button below

Hi All,

I going to create a tutorial on preparing A Photo Book On Photoshop Elements 6

But, before I go about creating the perfect “how to” on creating a Photo Book using Elements, I would love your feedback.

So, please use the comments below to tell me any or all of the following. The more information I have from you the better I can answer your questions about using Elements to create your next work of art.

1. Would you prefer a written tutorial or a video?
2. What is your goal for the photo book? Is it to sell or share or is it a gift to family and friends
3. Do you want to print the book out on your own printer or are you going to use an online service?
4. How many photos do you think you’ll include in the book?
5. Anything specific you’d like to learn about creating the photo book?

Thanks! I look forward to helping you with your photobook project.

Learn PhotoShop Elements at home

We’ve had so much interest in a Photo Editing Class that Dany Byrne and I will be teaching an online series on PhotoShop Elements.

We’re just not sure which version of Elements would be most beneficial to you. Would you mind taking a five minute survey and let us know? Click Here to take survey .

There will be three tracks to choose: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced. These classes will meet weekly and we will teach them in order if you want to talk all three courses. Watch this newsletter for details.

Dates to be announced – but if you’d like to be the first to know, please send me an email

In part one and two we talked about the camera, and what you can do while shooting to prevent noise. However, there are times that noise will appear on the final image. All is not lost! With today’s sophisticated software digital camera noise can be removed during post production.

Depending on which software suite you have, you may not need to purchase more.

Of course, if you are a professional photographer I’m sure you have the latest version of Adobe Photoshop if not (CS4 is due out soon). Look under filters for the noise removal tab.

For those serious shutterbugs, who haven’t forked over $700. + for the full Photoshop, don’t despair. Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 has the noise canceling filter as well. Look under filters and you’ll find the noise adjustment. I’ve used the filter adjustment, but don’t like it as much as I do the software called Noise Ninja.

Noise Ninja can be used as a stand alone application or you can install it as a plug in for Photoshop. It even has some preset profiles for individual cameras used at various ISO’s. Making the whole process painless.

It takes a few extra steps to use the software as a stand alone application. I prefer it that way, it takes extra time, but helps me focus on what I’m doing. I prepare the image and convert it to JPEG. Then, before sharpening, I take it to Noise Ninja for removal. One thing I don’t want is to sharpen the noise – LOL.

There are other noise removing software packages out there as well. You may find you prefer one over the other. Truthfully, I haven’t tried them. I like N.N. and haven’t explored more. That said, here’s a short list of others I’ve heard that are rated well by users:

• ABSoft Neat Image
  www.neatimage.com
• NoiseWare Pro
  http://www.imagenomic.com/
• ISO DeNoise Filter
  http://www.digitalsecrets.net/secrets/denoiseISO.html
• Alien Skin Image Doctor (more than just noise removal)
  http://www.alienskin.com/imagedoctor/index.aspx

If you have a favorite noise removing tool, please post a link and a comment.

There are a few techniques photographers use to reduce camera noise.

1.  ISO – on all digital cameras there is an ISO setting which tells the camera how sensitive to light it must be. The lower numbers, like ISO 100 or 200 indicate that you are taking the photo in a bright, well lit area. Examples: A sunny day at the ball game, a bright overcast day during the fall or summer or standing on a theatre stage.  When you are faced with lower light situations – the night ball game, or fast moving action like winter soccer games you can change the ISO to a higher number. Like 400, 800, 1200 and depending on the camera maybe higher. This gives you the ability to capture the action, but the trade-off is a very noisy image.
2. Exposure time – Another time your camera will produce noisy image happens when you push your exposure times. An example might be an after sunset shot, where the exposure time may be 15 to 30 seconds. I’ve found my camera produces noisier shots the longer the shutter is left open. It might be better to trade a little depth of field and open the lens up to a larger F/stop and shorten the exposure time.
3. Noise reduction setting when you extend the ISO and exposure times many digital cameras have a noise reduction setting inside the menu command. Be sure to toggle it on before the shot. Turn it off for other shots. I’ve heard many cameras produce very noisy looking photos if the setting is left on under normal conditions.
4. Don’t push your camera optics you should avoid shooting with your zoom extended to the maximum. Especially if you didn’t pay for the top of the line lens. My 75-300mm zoom telephoto lens starts degrading and producing ‘noisey’ looking photos at around 200mm. I can get the shot, but lose the sharp detail. Try using your sneaker zoom to move closer if detail matters.
5. Watch the light angles – shooting into the light is much more likely to produce a poor image, but with a digital you are even more likely to get a grainy looking ‘pushed’ look. Can you aide the exposure by using your flash in this case?
6. Buy the best camera you can afford – larger sensors, better glass optics and engineering helps produce the sharpest photo possible. If you plan on selling your photos, or want high quality enlargements you’ll be much happier spending the time and money on a higher end digital SLR. There are many Prosumer digital cameras out there. Don’t mistake their design for quality. The lower priced digital SLR camera generally have smaller sensors. While the sensors are bigger than their point and shoot brothers, they may still not be big enough to produce a noise free image.

All is not lost if you have a camera that produces noisy or grainy images. In the next post I’ll talk about how to reduce noise in post processing. (When you are editing it in your computer software).