The "Red Eye" Effect

Red-eye Photo Effect Explained

Back in the days of analog photography, the red eye effect has often caused much grief to photographers especially those using flash during night shoots. The cause of red-eye then is the same as it is now.

The red-eye effect caused when light from the camera’s flash reflects off the retinas of your subject’s eyes. Subjects who have especially "sparkling" eyes are often the victims of this.

When digital cameras were not in use yet, correction of the red-eye effect had to be done manually through photo editing programs. The problem was the outcome did not make the subjects look "normal." Some photo stores even sold a correcting pen which you could apply over the subject's eyes.

Nowadays, almost all digital cameras have a setting to eliminate the red-eye. It is actually advisable to leave this setting on all the time during night photography.

The professional photographers back then would buy specialized flash kits that would two light bulbs in them. There was a smaller one that would flash once before the main flash does. This short burst makes the subject's pupils close slightly and eliminating the chances of red eyes.

Digital SLR Photography

What does SLR stand for? It means single lens reflex, some may even refer to it as D-SLR with the D simply standing for digital.

The main difference between a SLR camera and the regular ones is that it has a detachable lens. This allows for increased resolution in your photographs. This is also useful for long distance photography or close-up macro photography.

SLR's make use of a mirror that reflects the light that enters the lens and reflects it further up into the viewfinder. The photographer can now get an idea of how the image will look like.

In short, SLR's depend greatly on the lens and the mirror inside, and how good their optical capabilities are.

SLR cameras allow you to have more control over settings such as exposure. Obviously the higher the resolution, the better the quality. But that also depends on the object that you are taking, the distance and other similar factors.

SLR's also allow you to take pictures almost instantly, with no lag time. This comes in quite handy when taking photos of moving objects.

Basics - Bad Weather, Good Light - Being Flexible With Your Photography

We've all sat, staring out of our window and cursing at the rain poring down or the flat, grey sky that just happened to cloud over on few hours we've managed to set aside in our busy schedule to head out and shoot some photos. But all is not lost for the opportunistic and well prepared photographer.

Be Patient

Digital Photography Camera Bags

Many people think that a camera bag is an accessory only professional photographers would invest in. That may be true during the film camera era but with digital cameras having taken over, a camera bag has also become a necessity.

A camera bag need not be big, in fact big might even equate to bulky. However it must be functional. A camera bag is only useful if it has enough compartments for the most important and often-used of accessories.

Back in the days of the film camera, a bag is used to store additional rolls of film, the external flash bulb, batteries, filters, zoom lenses, among others. You will find that a digital camera bag is not so different from the traditional camera bags.

So, what is inside your digital camera bag? Take a look at the following:
  1. Memory Holder
  2. This is one of the things that you did not have to carry around in the film camera days but is absolutely necessary with a digital camera. Without a memory card, there is no where to store your shots. Consider the memory card the equivalent of traditional films.

Proper Lighting In Digital Photography

The importance of proper lighting cannot be overemphasized especially if you want the photographs you take to come out the way you want them to. There are times when you would want to achieve certain moods or effects with your photographs, then the right amount of lighting plays an important role in helping you achieve your objective.

There are basically two kinds of lighting: 1) artificial lighting; and 2) natural light.

The terms themselves are pretty self-explanatory. Artificial lighting come from flash bulbs, street lamps, etc. Natural light comes from the sun and even the moon. Obviously knowing the current weather condition also factors in when choosing natural light.

It does not necessarily have to be a bright sunny day to achieve great shots. Even cloudy or stormy weather can help in creating great mood shots. However there should be a warning to inexperienced photographers that cloudy conditions could cause blurry shots. So it basically depends on your intentions.

Terms Used In Digital Photography

Getting started in digital photography should include an understanding of the different terms. These particular terms usually are connected with the various features that you will find in digital cameras. When you are shopping for a digital camera for the first time, here are some terms and features you should become acquainted with:

Taking Digital Photographs Is Fun

Many digital inventions have helped make people's jobs that much easier and digital cameras are no exception. Digital photography has come a long way since the very first digital camera was introduced at the consumer level back in the mid-1990's when they were known as "image capture device".

Digital photography can be many things to many people. Some get involved for fun or as a hobby, while others are in it for their livelihood.

Whatever it may be, digital photography has made capturing precious and important moments that much easier. Was there ever a time when people would have thought that you could take pictures without a roll of film?

With digital photography, there is no need to wait for the pictures to be developed. Once the pictures are taken, the camera is hooked up directly to the computer for you to view the finished product. And if you decide to print them, there are so many related paraphernalia available now that can make your finished products look like the work of a professional.

And not only can you take pictures with your digital camera, but you can easily personalize the finished products with the help of some computer programs. You can edit, enhance or restore your photos according to your desire and these can be done with just a few clicks of your computer mouse.