Photogenic Photography Blog

My introduction to digital photography was probably a bit more dramatic than most people’s. To get the full picture – so to speak – let’s travel back in time to the salad days of my life as a fledgling photographer: six years ago!

Although digital photography was available even then, they had as yet to come into their own, or rather into my hands. Naturally enough, this meant that I was still lugging around my film SLR – that’s single lens reflex to all those out there who’re sitting around scratching their heads.

Anyway, along with my trusty camera, which I had spent a fortune to get by the way, I was also lugging around everything else that I needed along with it. Spare lenses, extra film, batteries, filters, basically the whole works. Having said that, even though I’m now almost fully digital through and through I still do carry most of the same things. The only thing that’s radically different in digital photography is the lack of film rolls.

I now don’t carry with me rolls and rolls of film, and I don’t need to wait eternally to reload the camera either. Instead I have learned to do a quick change of my memory cards even under the direst of weather circumstances.

Speaking of dire weather conditions it was on one of these days that I was introduced to digital photography.

The one great thing about digital photography though, was that I get to see the pictures I take immediately I take them. The small viewfinder that accompanies just about all new digital cameras is perfect for determining in an instant whether you need a reshoot or not. Of course the screen is generally too small to see too much detail but it works for the most part.

And if you really want to go high tech and see right then and there whether your photograph came out okay, all you need is a laptop computer. With digital photography your shooting abilities will increase manfold as you now also have the ability to store more shots as well. All you need to do is to transfer the pictures to the laptop and you have a newly emptied memory card just waiting to be filled.

If you’re somewhere in the middle of deepest Antarctica or somewhere equally cold of course, then you won’t want to spend time fiddling with all these gadgets and might only want to get back to blessed warmth. But digital photography as option is always open for you to take if you want to take the time and effort to empty out your memory cards while you’re out in the field shooting away.

For my part I prefer to have the laptop with me only on certain trips that I take. Like the ones where transportation and storage are easy and where I don’t have to lug the silly thing along with me everywhere I go, along with my digital photography equipment! You might of course feel differently about that, but as I like to say, each to his own. First things first though, you need to decide whether you like digital photography or not.

For many a professional photographer, the difference between choosing digital photography cameras over film cameras, is somewhat akin to the preference of manual transmission over automatic transmission cars for the professional driver. Although to a very great degree digital photography and manual photography are both the same, and they both yield almost identical results, in the end when push comes to shove, the manual car will always give them more power and control when they need it most.

And that’s why you’ll still see quite a lot of professional photographers hugging their old film SLR’s to their chest, refusing to part with it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the inability to change and adapt as much as it is the knowledge that film cameras – for the moment at least – will yield far better results when push comes to shove.

For the beginning photographer though, digital photography is as good a way as any to go, and if you’re mainly an enthusiastic amateur, you’ll get along fine with your digital camera. It’s when you start going up in the stakes that you have to make a decision whether you want to upgrade with digital photography all the way, or whether you want to go for the film camera.

Then again, before we end this article, I just have to point out that technology is advancing in quantum leaps and bounds, and that there’s a huge possibility that you will see more and more people abandoning their film cameras for the power of digital photography.



By: Muna wa Wanjiru

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I admit it - I’ve been slow to embrace the digital photography phenomenon. As a hobbyist, I have two film cameras, an old manual focus Nikon and a newer autofocus Canon Rebel, and I resisted the temptation to indulge in a digital camera up until recently, even though each of my children had them for years now. But recently my father gave me his mid-priced Olympus (he didn’t like the menus), and I’ve been giving it a try. And, to my surprise, I even like it.

My favorite thing about the camera is pretty obvious - no film. My father gave me two (bless him) substantial memory cards, and I just don’t run out of film. I don’t pay to develop photos that I don’t really want now that I’ve seen them (I don’t pay to develop photos period), and since I can actually see how they look on the spot, I can delete bad shots to save the space for more. Taking lots of shots helps me improve, and improves the chances of a better than average photograph as well, and now it’s free. My camera has settings on it that allow me to pretend I have film - I can set film speed and worry about aperture/shutter speed combinations just like with my other cameras, so I can still use what I already know about photography, which I really like. And I love not having to wait to see how the pictures came out.

The other really cool thing about digital photography is photo editing. I haven’t invested in Photoshop yet, but I have my eye on the Elements program for next year. I just use Google’s free Picasa and sometimes my PhotoDeluxe editor (came free with my scanner), and even then I can do an incredible amount of really exciting things with my pictures. The best is being able to correct poor exposures (I admit, I often don’t notice backlighting). With a couple of adjustments, what would have been a throwaway photo can become a keeper! I remove red-eye easily, sharpen focus, adjust contrast, warm up colors, and remove excessive unwanted tint (such as from lamplight). Cropping is my favorite - those lucky few who have their own darkroom crop their photos routinely, but us regular folks used to have to take what we got - no longer! We can pick and choose, and glory in removing unwanted background, excess sky - we can even remove most of the shot and make it a close-up. Resizing is a snap - want some wallets? No sweat. 8×10, 5×7, some oddball size - just a simple selection will do it. And don’t forget special effects. Depending on the editor, you can turn your photo into a painting, add glow, filters, neon - your imagination can go wild!

When you have your masterpiece ready to go, you can print it on photo paper at home, or you can send it out for processing. Through Picasa, you can click and send it to a processor via the internet, and get your professionally printed photos in the mail - but only the ones you have decided you want. You can upload your photos to a web page, email them, use them in a blog or on MySpace - they are easy to share.

So, as you can see, I am a digital photography convert. There is so much fun in having this kind of control over your work that it has actually rejuvenated my love of photography. If you haven’t already converted too, think about it. It really is a blast.



By: Carol Miller

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e wrong button and removed a whole bunch of pictures from a memory drive? Brought your digital camera home only to find out that there are no pictures in it? Formatted a flash memory drive full of pictures or got the card corrupted? No worries! There is an easy way out. In fact, there is more than one way out!

There are numerous data recovery products on the market. But do you really need those bulky, pricey solutions designed to fix hard drives and partitions in order to restore a few pictures? While your picturessure are valuable and there’s no doubt they are well worth the time and money you are about to spend on a recovery tool, try thinking out of the box. What if I tell you that you don’t have to pay an awful lot of money to get your pictures back? What if I tell you about a product that gets the job done yet costs less than a third than its generic competitors? What if that tool is not only more affordable, but also works better and is simpler to use? I must be kidding, right?

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By: Michael Kharinsky

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Gone are the times when photographers had to take several shots of an image and develop them to find out if a fine or even perfect image was taken. Several photographers of this art form refer to this technique as “trial and error”.

Nowadays, there are a numbers of photographers who have decided to shift from regular point and shoot and old SLR models to digital ones. Through DSLRs, they can get more time to concentrate in taking those great pictures since images that are not par with their standards can simply be deleted away.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. The name implies the use of lenses and a mirror. Mirror reflects light entering the lens up into the viewfinder. Thus, a photographer can estimate how the image will likely appear when it is developed. Moreover, a SLR camera uses separate lenses that can be interchanged depending on the resolution needed. Hence, this camera can be used to capture image with varying depths.

Likewise, a digital SLR or DSLR camera uses lenses and mirror. But instead of a film that records the image, a DSLR camera uses light sensor chips and digital memory. In other words, a DSLR camera is the computerized version of the traditional SLR camera.

However, the functions of these models are rather different so it is suggested that users spend time getting familiar or acquainted with these gadgets. Owners should use that “trial and error” technique by taking a few shots and storing better pictures. Sooner or later, users can surely hack these models.

Individuals who decide on using these types of cameras should really invest on memory cards and lenses. Thus, if they happen to become professionals someday, additional equipment will surely keep them busy for choosing photography as a career.

Here are some helpful tips that will definitely aid owners of DSLR cameras in capturing a perfect image using the new art of digital photography.

1. Normally, people take full body shots against a background. However, it is more appropriate to take a shot from shoulders up or an upper body one because image of those in the picture really appear small.

2. If doing the above technique happens to be difficult for the user, he or she can take a shot of the person with him or her at one side rather than at the center. Then the owner can just zoom in so the person appears to be at the center.

3. The law of optics remains the same whether using an old or a digital camera. For instance, if the sun is behind an image, the picture will be silhouette. If light is in front of the image, the picture will appear squint unless there are sunglasses on.

4. Use your sunglass to act as a polarizer to take away unnecessary reflections from glaring objects.

5. You can also use a sunglass to increase the exposure of objects.

6. When using a polarizer, be sure that the source of light is perpendicular to the object.

7. Change your white balance setting from auto to cloudy when shooting bright landscapes and outdoor portraits.

8. Do not use the flash mode when the setting is already sunny.

9. Zoom in to emphasize a certain asset or characteristic of the subject being captured.

10. Practice. Practice. Practice.

It suffices to say that the techniques in getting the perfect shot have not changed. However, using digital cameras and employing this new art of digital photography have simply improved photo shooting by making capturing pictures easy for everyone.

In other words, practice is what really makes perfect shots!



By: Kevina

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admit that in digital photography I personally have been a laggard. I have two traditional film cameras - a vintage manual focus Nikon and a Canon Rebel, which is a newer model equipped with auto focus. Up until recently, I’ve been heroically resisting the temptation of trying a digital camera, although each of my kids has had one for years now. But a few days ago, my father gave me one of his - a mid-priced Olympus - because he didn’t like the menus. I’ve decided to give it a try and I was surprised I actually like it.

I take a lot of pictures so obviously the first thing I loved about it is that it had no film. I also got two large memory cards from my father along with the camera and I never run out of film. I no longer have to pay for developing photos that I don’t even like. Actually, I don’t develop photos at all. And now that I’m able to see them on the spot, I can delete the ones that turn out wrong and free up space for new ones. I take hundreds of pictures and this helps me improve my technique and get better results. I can still keep the things I liked about traditional photography as my camera lets me select film speed and worry about shutter speed/aperture combinations. This means that I can still use my photographic skills, which is a very good thing. I also love that I don’t have to wait for days to see how the pictures turned out like.

Another thing I love about digital photos is the fact that you can edit them later. I haven’t purchased Photoshop yet, though I plan to buy the Elements program soon. For now I just use Picasa, which is free, and my PhotoDeluxe application which came with the scanner. Even with these basic programs I can still change the photos to a great extent. I sometimes have problems with the exposure because I don’t always notice backlighting. Luckily, poor exposure can be easily corrected afterwards, and the same thing you can do with red eyes or excessive tint.

You can also adjust contrast, sharpen focus and warm up colors. Cropping is another tool I use very often. It helps me remove parts of the background or excess sky. I can even transform a landscape photo into a close-up if I remove a large part of it. You also have a lot of special effects. You can transform your photo into an oil painting, add filters, neon, glow - just set your imagination free.

When I’m all set, I can send those photos I really like to a processing service. With Picasa you have an option to send your photos to a processor over the Internet and you will get the printed photos into your mail. Or you can upload the pictures to a website, use them in a blog or email them to your friends. Having so much control over your photos is just great. If you haven’t already switched to digital photography, you should think about it. It is a real blessing.

By: Alex Don

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