Photography Lighting Effects
Understanding How Different Types of Light Work With Photos
By Jo Plumridge, About.com Contributing Writer
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Nothing makes or breaks a photo more than lighting. Dramatic photography lighting can turn a mundane snapshot into something quite breathtaking. To be able to fully use lighting, though, we need to learn about photography lighting effects.
* Ambient lighting. This light is the soft, non-directional light that we often see when photographing outside. The brightness of your subject may well be reduced, but this type of lighting works well for landscape shots, as it provides even lighting across the frame.
* Artificial household and business lighting. These types of lighting throw a very particular cast over images. Tungsten lighting (commonly used in household bulbs) casts an orange glow over photos. Fluorescent or strip lighting casts a green glow. Fortunately, modern DSLR cameras have white balance settings which can correct for these casts.
* Studio Lighting. Professional photographers use a variety of different lighting in studios. The most common type of lights are flash lights, which work like a much larger version of a flashgun. Other types of studio lighting include tungsten lights and daylight balanced lights.
* Hard Light. This kind of light occurs in the middle of the day and is very intense, creating strong shadows and contrast. It isn't the most popular of lighting because of this, but can be used to good effect in sunny scenes with a minimum of areas in which to catch shadows.
* Back Lighting. This is when the light is focused directly at your camera, and it is commonly used to create silhouettes.
* Side Lighting. As you might expect, light comes from one side of the image with side lighting. This kind of light can be used creatively in genres such as portraiture and architecture to add long shadows and depth to images.
* The Golden Hour. The hour around sunrise and sunset produces a particular kind of lighting with red, pink, and golden tones. This type of lighting produces beautifully lit images, and it is the most popular for landscape photography.
On some occasions, you could also come across a combination of several of these lighting effects -- such as when some ambient light filters in to an indoor scenario. The trick is to learn to use all the available types of lighting to their best advantage.
MY THOUGHTS
that was some brief education on lighting. i hope camera enthusiasts get to read this.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
LONG LASTING CAMERA BATTERIES
Long Lasting Camera Batteries
Tips for Improving Camera Battery Life
By Kyle Schurman, About.com Guide
If you've noticed your digital camera's battery power not lasting quite as long as it used to, that's not a surprise. Rechargeable batteries tend to lose their ability to hold a full charge as they age and are re-used. Losing digital camera battery power is a frustrating problem to have, especially if your "battery empty" light flashes just as you prepare to take that once-in-a-lifetime photo. These tips and tricks should help you gain a little extra battery life ... even from an older camera battery.
* If your camera has an optical viewfinder (the small window at the back of the camera that you can use to frame images), you can turn off the LCD screen and only use the viewfinder. The LCD screen has large power demands.
* Try to avoid using the flash, if at all possible. Continued use of the flash also drains the battery quickly. Obviously, there are some situations where a flash is required to create the photo, but, if you can shoot the picture with the flash turned off, do it to save some battery power.
* Do not spend a lot of time reviewing your photos. The longer you have the LCD screen on -- while you aren't actually shooting photos -- the faster your battery will drain in comparison to the number of photos you can shoot per charge. Spend more time reviewing your photos later when you return home and you have a fresh battery.
* Use your camera's power saving feature. Yes, I agree that this feature can be extremely annoying at times, as the camera goes into "sleep" mode when you haven't used it for a set period of time. However, it does work to conserve battery power. To achieve the most battery power savings, set the "sleep" mode to kick in as quickly as possible. With some cameras, this can be after as little as 15 or 30 seconds of inactivity.
* Turn down the LCD's brightness level, if your camera allows this. A brighter LCD drains the battery faster. A dimmer LCD is more difficult to see, especially in bright sunlight, but it will help extend your battery life.
* If you have the option of shooting some photos with the camera plugged into a wall outlet, use this option to conserve battery power.
* Don't believe the claims of the manufacturer about how much life your batteries should have. When testing the battery life of their cameras, most manufacturers will conduct their measurements in perfect conditions, something you likely cannot recreate in real-world photography. If you're able to achieve at least 75% of the battery life that the manufacturer claims, that's a good starting point.
* To obtain the longest life from your batteries, don't fall for the myth that says you should fully drain the battery before recharging it. In reality, a battery has "X" number of hours of use in it. If you're using some of those hours to simply drain the battery, it won't last as long over its lifetime. Just use the battery normally, and charge it when the battery needs a charge or when you're done shooting. A partial charge isn't going to significantly affect the life of the modern battery. That may have been the case with rechargeable batteries from several years ago, but it's not true with newer batteries.
* Don't turn the camera on and off repeatedly. Each time you restart most cameras, the introductory screen will appear for several seconds. Although this doesn't seem like much time, if you turn the camera on and off 10 times, you'll probably lose at least a minute of battery power, which may be the difference between snapping that last great photo and seeing the "battery empty" message. Use the "sleep" mode instead, which I discussed earlier.
* Finally, because all rechargeable batteries tend to hold less power as they age, you may simply want to purchase a second battery and have it charged and available. If you find yourself constantly altering your photography habits to try to conserve power with an older battery, you're better off buying a second battery as a backup or an "insurance policy."
MY THOUGHTS
ever notice how batteries seem to run out when you need it the most? maybe it's not bad luck. maybe it's in the way we use and conserve the batteries.
Tips for Improving Camera Battery Life
By Kyle Schurman, About.com Guide
If you've noticed your digital camera's battery power not lasting quite as long as it used to, that's not a surprise. Rechargeable batteries tend to lose their ability to hold a full charge as they age and are re-used. Losing digital camera battery power is a frustrating problem to have, especially if your "battery empty" light flashes just as you prepare to take that once-in-a-lifetime photo. These tips and tricks should help you gain a little extra battery life ... even from an older camera battery.
* If your camera has an optical viewfinder (the small window at the back of the camera that you can use to frame images), you can turn off the LCD screen and only use the viewfinder. The LCD screen has large power demands.
* Try to avoid using the flash, if at all possible. Continued use of the flash also drains the battery quickly. Obviously, there are some situations where a flash is required to create the photo, but, if you can shoot the picture with the flash turned off, do it to save some battery power.
* Do not spend a lot of time reviewing your photos. The longer you have the LCD screen on -- while you aren't actually shooting photos -- the faster your battery will drain in comparison to the number of photos you can shoot per charge. Spend more time reviewing your photos later when you return home and you have a fresh battery.
* Use your camera's power saving feature. Yes, I agree that this feature can be extremely annoying at times, as the camera goes into "sleep" mode when you haven't used it for a set period of time. However, it does work to conserve battery power. To achieve the most battery power savings, set the "sleep" mode to kick in as quickly as possible. With some cameras, this can be after as little as 15 or 30 seconds of inactivity.
* Turn down the LCD's brightness level, if your camera allows this. A brighter LCD drains the battery faster. A dimmer LCD is more difficult to see, especially in bright sunlight, but it will help extend your battery life.
* If you have the option of shooting some photos with the camera plugged into a wall outlet, use this option to conserve battery power.
* Don't believe the claims of the manufacturer about how much life your batteries should have. When testing the battery life of their cameras, most manufacturers will conduct their measurements in perfect conditions, something you likely cannot recreate in real-world photography. If you're able to achieve at least 75% of the battery life that the manufacturer claims, that's a good starting point.
* To obtain the longest life from your batteries, don't fall for the myth that says you should fully drain the battery before recharging it. In reality, a battery has "X" number of hours of use in it. If you're using some of those hours to simply drain the battery, it won't last as long over its lifetime. Just use the battery normally, and charge it when the battery needs a charge or when you're done shooting. A partial charge isn't going to significantly affect the life of the modern battery. That may have been the case with rechargeable batteries from several years ago, but it's not true with newer batteries.
* Don't turn the camera on and off repeatedly. Each time you restart most cameras, the introductory screen will appear for several seconds. Although this doesn't seem like much time, if you turn the camera on and off 10 times, you'll probably lose at least a minute of battery power, which may be the difference between snapping that last great photo and seeing the "battery empty" message. Use the "sleep" mode instead, which I discussed earlier.
* Finally, because all rechargeable batteries tend to hold less power as they age, you may simply want to purchase a second battery and have it charged and available. If you find yourself constantly altering your photography habits to try to conserve power with an older battery, you're better off buying a second battery as a backup or an "insurance policy."
MY THOUGHTS
ever notice how batteries seem to run out when you need it the most? maybe it's not bad luck. maybe it's in the way we use and conserve the batteries.
HEALTH GADGETS THAT DON'T WORK
Take Two of These on an Empty Stomach, Cross Your Fingers, and Pray
By Melissa Gotthardt
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the October 2001 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Magic magnets, ear candles, brain stimulators, and other candidates for the Quack Hall of Fame.
Health hokum is big business. And there's more at stake than dollars and cents. "By pinning your hopes on worthless gadgets, you could actually be missing out on a treatment that really will work for you," says James Dillard, MD, co-author of Alternative Medicine for Dummies. Here are five products you should definitely stay away from.
1. Pain-relief guns: These devices are supposed to relieve pain by applying mild electrical charges to afflicted areas. "The charge may serve as a brief counterirritant so you don't notice as much pain, but any effect would be minor and temporary," says Dillard. He suggests trying a licensed acupuncturist or massage therapist instead.
2. Magic magnets: Since a small study published in 1997 found that 29 patients with post-polio problems reported less pain when treated with magnets, marketers have claimed that magnets will alleviate just about any ailment. But it's far from proven. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on Magnetic Therapeutic Technologies for telling consumers that magnets were effective for treating HIV, cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. And last year the Consumer Justice Center filed suit against Florsheim for saying its MagneForce shoes reduced pain and enhanced circulation.
3. Ear candles: Since nothing inside your head can pass through an intact eardrum, these candles won't clear out sinuses or relieve tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and may deposit their own wax. Worse yet, doctors may have to treat burns, obstructions, and even eardrum perforation on patients who use the candles.
4. Brain stimulators: The Micro-400 cranial electrical stimulator is a small battery-powered box promoted as a "brain tuner." It allegedly improves your mood, health, intelligence, and sleep; you can also apply the electrodes to the body to relieve sore muscles and zap parasites. But don't bank on this doing anything except draining your checking account of $195.
5. Pinhole eyeglasses: "Most vision disorders CAN BE REVERSED!" proclaims an ad for these glasses, whose opaque lenses are studded with pinholes. Not so, according to Russell Worrall, OD, an optometrist and associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He says vision problems are caused by abnormalities in the eye's lens and shape; therefore no amount of peering through the pinhole shades will help. Do you know the difference between a cure and a scam? Take the quiz!
MY THOUGHTS
i'm disappointed! i would have loved the phinhole eyeglasses and the brain stimulators. consider yourself lucky that you have not invested on any of these. or have you?
By Melissa Gotthardt
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the October 2001 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Magic magnets, ear candles, brain stimulators, and other candidates for the Quack Hall of Fame.
Health hokum is big business. And there's more at stake than dollars and cents. "By pinning your hopes on worthless gadgets, you could actually be missing out on a treatment that really will work for you," says James Dillard, MD, co-author of Alternative Medicine for Dummies. Here are five products you should definitely stay away from.
1. Pain-relief guns: These devices are supposed to relieve pain by applying mild electrical charges to afflicted areas. "The charge may serve as a brief counterirritant so you don't notice as much pain, but any effect would be minor and temporary," says Dillard. He suggests trying a licensed acupuncturist or massage therapist instead.
2. Magic magnets: Since a small study published in 1997 found that 29 patients with post-polio problems reported less pain when treated with magnets, marketers have claimed that magnets will alleviate just about any ailment. But it's far from proven. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on Magnetic Therapeutic Technologies for telling consumers that magnets were effective for treating HIV, cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. And last year the Consumer Justice Center filed suit against Florsheim for saying its MagneForce shoes reduced pain and enhanced circulation.
3. Ear candles: Since nothing inside your head can pass through an intact eardrum, these candles won't clear out sinuses or relieve tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and may deposit their own wax. Worse yet, doctors may have to treat burns, obstructions, and even eardrum perforation on patients who use the candles.
4. Brain stimulators: The Micro-400 cranial electrical stimulator is a small battery-powered box promoted as a "brain tuner." It allegedly improves your mood, health, intelligence, and sleep; you can also apply the electrodes to the body to relieve sore muscles and zap parasites. But don't bank on this doing anything except draining your checking account of $195.
5. Pinhole eyeglasses: "Most vision disorders CAN BE REVERSED!" proclaims an ad for these glasses, whose opaque lenses are studded with pinholes. Not so, according to Russell Worrall, OD, an optometrist and associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He says vision problems are caused by abnormalities in the eye's lens and shape; therefore no amount of peering through the pinhole shades will help. Do you know the difference between a cure and a scam? Take the quiz!
MY THOUGHTS
i'm disappointed! i would have loved the phinhole eyeglasses and the brain stimulators. consider yourself lucky that you have not invested on any of these. or have you?
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