phewse photoblog

I found some really great photoblogs today through the use of Photoblogs.org. I always love clicking through others’ work—here are some of my favorites:

• The G8 - Some excellent use of color here, but also some excellent black and whites, such as this shots.
• What The Heck Journal - Martin Andreasen has some really incredible shots—I just love the gritty feeling all of his images give off. This one is one of my favorites.
• Kwerfeldein Photography - Some great portraits, but also some very nice landscapes as well.
• Moodaholic - The names says it all—these photos have such great moods to them and are very rich in feeling. I like this panoramic

Any photoblogs that you really enjoy? Let me know in the comments section.

One of my favorite parts of having a digital camera is how easy it is to share your photos with others. With a few clicks of the mouse, photos can be online and accessible to friends, family, and even people on the other side of the globe. So what’s the best way to do this? Well, there are several options:

Use an online photo printing service

There are many sites out there, such as Snapfish or KodakGallery, that are primarily for uploading photos to be printed. But, they can also be used to share photos with others.

The best part about using an online printing service to share photos is that everything is one place—you can share and print photos all from the same site. Prints are generally decent quality and quite cheap. But, unfortunately, sharing usually leaves a lot to be desired. There is little to no community aspect to these sites; for the most part, you put up your photos, and other people view them—no commenting, critiques, etc. Also, it can be a chore to allow others to view your photos, sometimes requiring viewers to register before seeing them.

My advice: Use photo printing sites for what they’re made for: printing your photos, not sharing them.

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This is the first entry in my weekly “Mega-what?” feature on phewse, so I figured the only way to start is with the term “megapixel,” of course! This is a word that is tossed around routinely, and most people have a basic idea of what it means. I’m here to tell you a little more about it, and also clear up some common misconceptions.

What exactly is a megapixel?

First, to understand megapixels, you have to understand how a digital camera captures a photo. I’m not going to go into all the details, as it would take far too much space. (If you’re interested in reading more about how a digital camera works, I’d recommend checking out HowStuffWorks.) Essentially, when you press the shutter button on a digital camera, light goes through the lens and hits a chip at the back of the camera. This “chip” consists of millions of little sensors, which interpret the light. Each of these little sensors is called a “pixel.” One million pixels equals one megapixel.

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DIY Photography links to an interesting piece of software called HelionFocus. Essentially what this does for you is allows you to take multiple photos of the same subject and and change the focus point in each shot. You then import the separate photos into HelionFocus, and it blends them into one completely in-focus image. This could be huge for landscape photographers who want to have everything in a scene in focus, but shoot at the “sweet spot” of their lens (whichever aperture has the highest quality, usually around f/8).

This is really a cool idea—people can blend multiple exposures to get the correct exposure, so why not apply that to focus as well? I’m going to see if I get a chance to try this out this weekend. I’ll post back with what I find.

This is the fifth and final installment in the series, “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera.”

Finally! The camera is in your possession! Think of all the things you can do with it! But, where to start? First thing to do, of course, is to charge batteries (if you purchased a camera with rechargeable batteries; if not, skip this step!)

Once the batteries are charged, pop them in along with your memory card and turn the the camera on. Take a few test shots—just to double-check that everything’s working ok. Once you’re positive that the camera’s in good working condition, I’d recommend flipping through the manual. Check to make sure there’s no setup you need to do with the camera, such as setting the time. Once everything’s setup, you’re ready to shoot.

It seems like whenever I get a new camera, I never have any idea what to go and take pictures of! Really, the only advice I can give on this matter is get out there and go shoot. Go and take pictures, and make sure to be playing with settings the whole time so you can try everything out and make sure it’s working properly.

So, enjoy your new camera, take lots of photos, and have fun!

Some helpful photography blogs I’ve come across recently:

• SyncSpeed
• DigiSniper
• DIY Photography
• Digital Photography School

I’d definitely recommend checking these sites out—there’s some great information to be found from them all.

This is the fourth installment in the series, “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera.”

With the help of this series, you’ve now picked out a camera and decided which accessories you’re going to need. You’re ready to put down the dough, but where should you buy the camera?

The first choice to make is whether you want to buy online or at a typical brick and mortar store (such as RitzCamera or Best Buy). Typically, prices online are cheaper, but you aren’t able to pick it up immediately, and you’ll have to pay shipping charges. The rest of this post is about online retailers, but if you decide to go to an actual store, that’s fine too!

In my experience, B&H is one of the top places to buy cameras and related accessories. They have consistently low prices, quick shipping, and great service. If you look at their rating on ResellerRatings, they have a 9.3 lifetime average. I buy just about all my photo equipment from them.

There may, however, be better deals out there than B&H. I recommend using a tool such as PriceGrabber.com to search for the best deals on what you’re looking for. If you find a site with a great deal, make sure they’re a reputable store. If you’ve never heard of the site, check at ResellerRatings to see what others think. A few sites that also may have good deals are Newegg, Adorama, and, of course, Amazon.com.

If you’re someone who uses eBay a lot, I would caution you against buying from any users there. You are paying a good amount of money, and is it really worth the risk to save a few dollars? A lot of times deals are better other places anyways, so make sure you check around. If you absolutely have to use eBay, make sure the seller has a high feedback rating, and I would also recommend that you only buy new cameras, not previously-used models.

So, take a look around at different sellers, and when you find someone that fits your criteria, go ahead and order. (or go to the store and pick it up, if you’re buying offline) You’re camera should be arriving soon, so start planning all the fun things you’re going to do with it!

Make sure to read the final installment of the series, entitled “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera: I’ve got the camera, now what?”

I will be starting a new weekly feature of phewse on Thursday, called “Mega-what?” The idea behind it is to explain different words and technologies in photography, such as megapixels, depth-of-field, and so on. The intent is to help readers learn some of the “buzzwords” of photography, so that the next time someone starts talking about custom white balance or bracketing, you’ll know exactly what they’re talking about, and maybe you’ll even be able to correct them when they mistakenly interchange sensor crop multiplier with zoom!

Sometimes, a straight on photo of a subject just feels flat and uninteresting. Want an easy way to make it have a little more tension and action? Tilt your camera and photograph at an angle! What I mean by this is that you should try taking photos where the subject moves from corner to corner, instead of side to side.

© Ten Directions

Take for instance the above photo by Ten Directions. The wings of the bird go from bottom-left to top-right, which creates tension in the image and makes it much more pleasing to the eye. He very well could have taken the photo with the wings left to right, but it would not have been nearly as interesting.

This is a great trick that can be used on just about any subject. Try it out, you’ll surprised what photos may result!

The “Tuesday Tip” is a weekly feature of phewse where I post a different way to improve your photography every Tuesday. Want to view other tips? Check them all out on the category page.

[tags]photography, tip, improve[/tags]

This is the third installment in the series, “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera.”

You’ve picked out a digital camera, but what should you buy with it? There are endless choices of what accessories to get with your camera, here is my list of essentials:

• Memory Card (or Two)
  This one is a necessity, as you won’t be able to use your camera without it! Many cameras will with one, but typically they are small cards that only hold a couple of pictures. Find out what type of memory your camera takes, and get a card that will allow you to take plenty of photos before running out of space. To decide what size card you need, use a table such as the one here at DigiCamReview to approximate how many photos you can fit. I generally recommend at least a 512mb card—they’re fairly cheap, and you can store a good number of photos on them.
• Case
  I strongly recommend this one. Get a small case to toss your camera in. This way, if you ever happen to bang against something or accidently drop it, there is less chance you will ruin something.
• Extra batteries
  Although not a necessity, these can come in very handy. If you’re out taking photos, the last thing you want to see is a dead battery. If you buy an extra, you always have the option to swap it out and keep on shooting.
• USB Card Reader
  A card reader allows you to download photos directly from your card, instead of having to use the camera and the cable it came with. This method generally has faster transfer times, but it does require taking the card out of the camera first.
• Tripod
  If you’re going to be doing any sort of night photography, this is an absolute must-have. A tripod allows you to stabilize your camera during any long exposures (which are necessary at night due to low light levels) and it can come in useful in many other situations as well.

There are plenty of other helpful accessories, and the items in this list are by no means the only accessories you should consider, but they are a starting point, and if I were to only get five accessories, they would most certainly be the ones above.

Make sure to read the next installment in the series, entitled “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera: Where should I buy the camera and accessories?”