Photography Blog

Gordon Ball asked:




As an owner of a Digital SLR my worst fear has always been the cleaning of the sensor, or rather the cleanliness of the sensor. I’ve owned this fantastic camera for over five years and it’s a part of me. No other digital SLR compares to it in terms of quality or feel. It’s a canon 10D and I love it. OK it’s only 6 megapixels but who cares the quality is there. I also own a Canon 450D which just doesn’t feel right and I’m sure the focus is a little soft.

I upload quite a few images to the Microstock Photography market and I have had a few more rejections from the 450D for noise and quality issues than the ‘Built like a tank’ Canon 10D. I’ve spent hours testing and comparing the two. Each time I change my mind about which one will give the best results, it’s that close. How can a 6megapixel camera compare with a 10 megapixel camera in terms of quality? But the 10D delivers the goods and has never failed to.

Another plus for the 10D is that I can control it through my laptop and see the immediate results on the screen, very handy for still life. Anyway back to the sensor. It was whist I was shooting some isolated still life images, they always sell well in Microstock, that I met my worst fear. There on the screen of my laptop was an image of an old trainer which was pretty well exposed etc. But when I looked at the perfectly exposed white background it was covered in black marks. I went over to the set-up and expected the white paper to be covered in marks. It wasn’t, it was perfectly clean. Then it hit me the marks were on my sensor of my beloved 10D.

I’d not used the 10D in the studio for a while I had mostly used it for wedding and portraiture. Only because, rightly or wrongly, I have a theory that the bigger the Camera the more important you look. Anyway it must have been over three years since I had shot any isolated table top set ups on my 10D. The fact that I was shooting with studio flash at f22 highlighted the problem even further.

To cut a long story short I realised that I needed to get the sensor cleaned. It was a realisation that gave me that sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach. I started to search the internet for a easy but effective solution. Some of the info was good? Other searches supplied me with what I can only describe as horror stories. But I had to make a decision. Do I keep the 10D as a backup camera or do I attempt to clean the sensor with the possibility of ruining my camera. Decision made I decided to clean the sensor myself. I ordered a kit of the internet and dreaded the arrival of the equipment that could eventually kill off my beloved 10D.

A couple of days later the Postman arrived with a small package which I gingerly opened. Inside I found five spatulas with a fabric on the end a small bottle of fluid. The width of the spatulas was exactly the same as the sensor on my 10D I was assured. I read the very simple instructions and re-read the instruction book that came with the 10D, mainly to delay the actual act of cleaning the sensor.

It did emphasis that the battery in the camera should be fully charged so it would hold open the shutter and keep the mirror out of the way. I added four drops to the spatula and very gently dragged it across the sensor. I turned the spatula over and repeated the process. Looking into the camera I could see the solution evaporating rapidly. I turned the camera off and replaced the lens. Now was the time of truth!

I set the aperture to f22 a pointed the camera at the overcast sky and pressed the shutter. I took out the card and put it into my computer, opened up Photoshop at opened the file.

I was amazed the filth, or muck as we call it, had all but gone. There was an odd mark but far less than before. The sensor looked in perfect condition and I was delighted. I must admit that because of my new found confidence I did repeat the cleaning and the marks have now disappeared completely.

As a result my images are not only cleaner but they appear sharper, crisper but that could be my imagination, I don’t know. But what I do know is that after years of reading and hearing about the horror stories of sensor cleaning, never again will I hesitate to clean it. Of course I also believe in prevention rather than cure so I will take the extra care not to let the dust in as no doubt my confidence will diminish when the time comes to cleaning the sensor of my digital cameras.

Alex W.K. asked:




A thousand of successful amateur photographers around the world has completed a series of interactive online digital photography course. Amateur advanced to professional with a promising career. You will learn everything from the basic to advance technique with a series of proven online classes and courses. As one of the most respected online learning program, real professional photographer will actually access your work. There are no deadlines and you can work at your own pace and be a proud photography student from anywhere in the world.

Let’s see how it works. You pick the course you signed up for, start with the beginning course, follow the lesson plan at your own pace and do your assignment which consist of putting into practice from what you have learned from your lesson, then move on to the next lesson.

This is easy to follow informative course that visual and factual materials created by working photographer as well as tips and tricks to make you become an awesome photographer by the time you completed the course, you can also participate in the proud photography forum where you can meet thousand of students around the world.

The offers include 500 mega bites storage of pictures where you can share your work with other students, live support and a stack of professional tutors closely monitor your succeed in photography. The courses have a one full year warranty, if you do not like it you can request for refund anytime you like. Upon the completion of proud photography course you will be eligible to receive a ‘certificate of completion’ and become a member of the organization.

Chris Marshall asked:




Digital photos are stored as digital files on electronic media. Digital photos are comprised of pixels each one with a unique color and intensity. While digital photos do not have to be compressed in most cases they are. Compression serves one goal make files smaller and save storage space.

A digital photo is a built of pixels. A pixel is a single dot in the photo that has a value. A pixel’s value represents its color and intensity. Usually each pixel is represented by an RGB value (Red, Green and Blue that combined together create the pixel’s color) that occupies 3 bytes. Digital photo files can be very big. For example if you shoot a photo using an 8 mega pixels digital camera the photo will have 8000000 pixels each one occupying 3 bytes. The total file size would be 8000000*3=24000000 or 24Mbytes. However ff compressed using the right technology this file could be much smaller – about 3Mbytes would be common.

There are two main types of compression technologies: lossy and lossless:

Lossless compression: Lossless compression means that if you take a file compress it and then decompress it the decompressed file would be the exact copy of the original file. With lossless compression no data is lost in the compression process the compression software uses better representation of the data in the file but it does not remove any data from it.

Lossy compression: Lossy compression means that if you take a file, compress it and then decompress it the decompressed file would be slightly different than the original one. The compression software not only represents the file’s data more efficiently but it also removes data that it analyzed as being minor or not important. Such data can be removed without hardly any noticeable degradation in the compressed file quality. The differences between the original file and the decompressed file are minor and negligible to the user.

Lossless compression is usually applied to text and other data where all data is equally important. For example when compressing the text in this article and later on decompressing it you would want to get the exact original article without any words or sentences dropped by the compression software that decided they were not important.

Lossy compression on the other hand is usually applied to digital photos and graphic files. Such files include data that the viewer would not be able to notice if removed. For example small changes to color in a photo might not be noticeable. The decompressed file is not exactly the same as the original one but when viewing both the original and decompressed photos side by side the viewer can not tell the difference. Lossy compression software can be set to different compression levels based on how much data is allowed to be lost. At some point losing too much data is noticeable and degrades the digital photo quality. Many digital cameras allow you to set the level of compression from low to high where high compression means smaller files but less quality and low compression means bigger files but no noticeable quality degradation.

Digital photos are almost solely compressed using lossy technologies. The reason is that due to the nature of a photo (it includes noise, very minor changes that are hard to compress but are not important to the view and more) lossless compression technologies do not perform well on it. On the other hand Lossy compression technologies can be very effective in reducing digital photo file sizes sometimes an order of magnitude or more.

Peter Gitundu asked:




The camera has really changed from the old flash bulb cameras to the new digital camera’s that provide digital photography. When you use a digital camera, you are bound to get clear and precise photographs but this depends on who takes the photo.

Digital photography has been around for quite a while now and has actually phased the old camera’s that were in the market. Even though you might still see the old film cameras most people are opting for the newer technology and therefore turning to digital cameras.

This new age of digital photography out phased the old ways of processing film, however there are still some photographers who like to use film. Many of those who use film are actually photographic artist who often showcase their photos in galleries.

The main reason that this new form of photography has become a big hit is because there are various ways that you can use the digital camera. Some of this ways include directly printing out your photographs by connecting it to your printer. You can also use your computer to store your photographs and then print them later. You can also take them to a photo store and have them processed and you can get full blown photos.  Nowadays you will find that camera’s do not need film and are instead full of memory that stores the images taken.

Many changes came with digital cameras like the fact you don’t need rolls of film anymore and you don’t have to keep winding the camera to rewind the roll. Another difference that came with digital cameras is that you don’t have look through a hole to see how the picture will come out. There is a screen for looking and you can snap a photo any time as long as your batteries are charged well.

Alex W.K. asked:




Proud Photography is an interactive online classes offering 13 interactive online lessons which you can study at home at your own pace. The course has digital photography studied, exposure including shutter speed and aperture, composition, lightning, black and white shooting, portrait and much more. The course is created and managed by real professional and award-winning photographers. The classes are implemented online and many photographic shooting techniques and strategies are reveal within the course.

Proud Photography online classes simply provide the opportunity for amateur, beginner and skilled photographer to study photography at their own pace without attending the classes physically. The learning environment is similar to class study group which allow the students to interact, share and exchange information with other students and mentors globally. Participating with the activities will not make you feel being left out. In order to participate with the learning, a computer and internet connection are needed. The course does not restrict anyone to enroll. Skilled photographers can learn new shooting techniques and bring their ability to the next level. The course requires students to take part in useful homework and assignments actively and  examination, quizzes and competition will be available once a chapter is completed. After enrollment, you will be made to participate their extensive and specialize photography training which enable you to enhance your skill.

Overall, Proud Photography online class provides useful study material, curriculum, activities and support more than other photography schools offered to their students. Compared to the enrollment fee with other photography course, Proud Photography is relatively lower. Their high quality course is simply the best photography lesson available on the internet.

Ryan Dube asked:




Digital photography is fun, convenient, and you can see the rewards of your labors quickly. No film required, no sending film off to be developed, what could be easier? Before you run out and buy the most expensive digital camera with the most megapixels and the highest optical zoom you need to do some research.

Digital cameras can be expensive so the first thing you need to consider is how you will use your new digital camera. If your main use of digital photographs is to post pics of your buddies on FaceBook or MySpace, you will not require the same digital camera that you will need if you are taking pictures and getting paid for it, such as at a wedding. People generally fall into one of three categories of digital camera usage:

Snappers – You need a simple point and click camera that produces reasonable quality digital photographs. Perfect for people who don’t want much fuss and rarely print their pictures.

Hobbyists – You may want to be a little creative occasionally. You may take a few close ups, night shots etc. and are attempting to learn Photoshop. You print some of your pictures and want good quality 8” x 10” prints.

Pro/Semi-pro – You want a camera that delivers top quality photographs, operates fast and is adaptable. You want excellent print quality and sturdy construction.

How Many Megapixels Do You Need?

One way to decide how many megapixels you need is to decide what you may want to do with your pictures after you take them. This chart is a guide to the amount of megapixels you may need to get a good quality print of the various sizes:

Megapixels: (MP) – Quality prints up to this size:

Minimum of 2MP – 4” x 6”

Minimum of 3MP – 5” x 7”

Minimum of 6MP – 8” x 10”

Minimum of 8MP – 10” x 12”

Digital Zoom and Optical Zoom

Most digital cameras have both optical zoom and digital zoom. The optical zoom works just like a zoom lens on a film camera; the lens changes focal length and magnification as it is zoomed. The image quality stays high throughout the zoom range. A digital zoom simply crops the image to a smaller size, and then enlarges the cropped portion to fill the frame again. Digital zoom results in a significant loss of quality. You can do a similar if not better job using an image editing program such as Photoshop. You can find a free Photoshop download at Adobe.com.

How to Get a Good Digital Camera for Less

To save a little money, look for a camera that has been out about a year. Also style can cost you more; if picture quality is important to you, disregard the shiny model for the not so stylish one that takes great pictures. Stick with brands that are established camera manufacturers; digital cameras are made in basically the same way as film cameras, but in digital photography, light falls onto an image sensor and not onto film. The other parts of the camera are basically the same. Unless you really need special features for your digital photography, don’t pay for them.

After you get your new digital camera home, start using it! Luckily, digital camera memory is cheap and can be reused thousands of times. So get out there and shoot some photos and you’ll soon find your skills improving remarkably.

For more Photoshop Tips and Tricks, visit: www.PhotoshopDemos.com.

Thomas Jack asked:






There was a time when you had to wait for days in order to get your photos processed and then too, there were reported instances when the picture quality was less, or the number of pictures developed were less etc. But today, things are slightly different. You need not compromise on the quality of the pictures any more, neither do you need to wait for unending days to see your photos developed.

Photo processing has become extremely easy. Your photos can be developed in not more than an hour. It might sound like magic to those who are used to follow the tedious photo developing technique of the bygone days. Moreover, these photo processing processes also guarantee a much better quality of photos which is amazing in comparison to the traditional photographs that we are used to seeing.

While all other things are in control, the only factor which is not impressive is the fact that these photo processing techniques have actually increased the price of the photo development. They are no longer as cheap as we know them to be. The technically upgraded photo processing techniques are more expensive than the traditional ones.

Hence the next time you go for photo processing techniques make sure that you get your pictures processed through a reputed digital photo processing house which will take care of your photos being processed properly that too at the right time always.

Photo processing services at some of these photo developing workstations are excellent. They provide good customer service and ensure complete satisfaction of each customer looking for good quality photo processing services.

Now a days you can even get photo processing services online, which are extremely easy. All you need to do is upload pictures online and then order for photo processing of these photos. The photos will be processed and sent to your billing address at reasonable rate and excellent quality.

Alex W.K. asked:




Digital photography school online has helped many amateur photographers to become a professional photography through their various courses. This has become the crucial factors of a digital photography school in term of providing improvement in the talent of an amateur into becoming a professional. Keep in mind that there are many things you need to accomplish in order to become a successful photographer.

A digital photography school will explain some of the main factors which you can use to create ‘your own style’, ‘innovation’ and ‘quality versus quantity’. Uniqueness is the real keyword. You have to find your own style instead of duplicate other photographers. A professional is someone who is able to communicate with their own uniqueness and this is something that people cannot see somewhere else.

Learning new thing every single day is important for professional photographer. Learning leads to innovation. Learning cannot stop once you have achieved a certain level of success. You will never stop learning once you have become a pro. It is a continuous process. You need to keep innovate your work and continue to develop your skill so that many will see the uniqueness in your work.

Quality refers to the grade of excellence of your photograph. A real expert photographer would always discover a way on how to create quality photograph rather than making them in quantity but lacks quality. To become a pro photographer is to master quality. People would love to see beautiful pictures that they could be pride and please of. This is what you will learn at a digital photography school online.