Photogenic Photography Blog

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

About the Author:

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

About the Author:

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

About the Author: