phewse photoblog

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

So, you’re at the store, and the salesperson is rattling off specs, and you really have no idea what they’re talking about. What do you really need to know, and what is just superfluous? Here are my suggestions on what you should really concentrate on:

• Get a camera you’re comfortable with.
  Go to the store, pick up some cameras and find one that feels right in your hands. Sure, that 238 megapixel camera is cool, but will you feel comfortable using it? If the camera doesn’t feel right in your hands, don’t buy it. You need something you will want to take pictures with, not a camera you dread pulling out.
• Figure out what you’re taking pictures of.
  Are you taking pictures of flowers? Get a camera with a good macro setting and close focusing distance. Looking to take pictures of Little Jimmy playing baseball? Get one with a good optical zoom. See what I’m saying? You need to get a camera that suits your purpose. So before you go out and buy a camera, ask yourself what you’re using it for, and you will be a lot happier with your decision.
• Don’t worry yourself too much over specifications.
  Too many people fall into the “more is better” trap in the land of digital cameras. To be honest, if all you’re doing is printing 4×6’s, you’re not going to need anything more than 3 megapixels anyways, so who cares if you get a 5 megapixel camera instead of a 10? Also, always make sure to check zoom numbers. Ignore anything called “digital zoom”: it’s bogus. Basically, all digital zoom does is crop your image in camera, resulting in a loss of quality. Look for a camera with a decent optical zoom for normal use (2-3x is probably fine) or higher if you’re looking to do a little more with it (say, if you want to get photos of far away wildlife).
• Don’t go cheap.
  You don’t need to spend $500 to get a good camera, but be wary of anything that seems too cheap. Many digital cameras in the sub-$100 range are junk, quality-wise. If you can’t afford a decent camera now, wait and save until you can, you won’t regret it.
• Get a well-known brand
  This one goes along with “Don’t go cheap.” It’s just not worth it to go with a no-name camera. Make sure you spend your money on a well-established brand, such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, etc. (There are plenty more “good” brands out there, I just would rather not waste space listing them here.) If you’ve never heard of the brand, I would caution you to get a different camera.
• Research.
  Browse online and off for reviews of cameras. One site I highly recommend is DP Review. Read what others think, look at sample images; if you’re going to be spending a good chunk of money, why not be positive you’re buying something of quality?

At the end of the day, the first bullet in this list is the most important. I always tell my friends to make sure they go to a store and try out the camera before buying it—if you’re not buying a camera you’re comfortable with, you’re not making the right decision.

Make sure to read the next installment of the series, entitled “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera: What accessories do I need?”

[tags]digital camera, buying guide, point and shoot[/tags]

In an attempt to generate more content for this site, and also to help you, the reader, out with your photography, I am going to be starting the “Tuesday Tip” section of this site: every Tuesday I will post a quick tip on improving your photography, and it will range everywhere from in camera settings to editing in Photoshop.

So, make sure to check back every Tuesday for the latest tip, and hopefully it will help you become a better photographer.

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

So, you want a digital camera, but there are so many options out there. Do you get a compact point and shoot or a big ol’ DSLR? This series is all about point and shoots, but the first decision to make is if a P&S is right for you. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• What will I be using the camera for?
  If your main subject is friends and family, and you want a camera to carry with you to different parties, etc., a point and shoot should be perfect for you—you won’t need to lug around a giant DSLR, and you can toss most P&S cameras in a pocket or purse. If, however, you’re aiming to have a good deal of control over your photo, with the ability to change white balance, aperture, shutter speed, etc., you might want to look at more advanced cameras.
• Will I want to play around settings, or will I use the camera strictly in Automatic mode?
  If you’re looking to constantly be changing settings when taking photos, a point and shoot camera may not be right for you. A DSLR will offer better flexibility creatively, but you are giving up the compact size of a point and shoot. If you really could care less about manually tweaking your photos, and you just want good shots from the start, a point and shoot will most likely be perfect for you.
• How much am I willing to pay?
  Generally speaking, P&S cameras are cheaper than DSLRs. If budget is a concern, it would be much more worth your while to spend a smaller amount on P&S than splurging on a DSLR. You can generally get a decent P&S for $200-300, whereas an entry-level DSLR can cost $500-600 plus the cost of additional lenses.
• How much do I care about image quality?
  If you absolutely want top image quality, you are going to want to go with a DSLR with a top-quality lens. DSLR generally perform better in low-light conditions and they usually have more megapixels, resulting in the possibility of larger prints. This point is a bit moot, however, as P&S cameras are becoming better and better. For everyday snapshots, 99% of the time a good P&S camera will give you good enough quality for a great 4×6 or even 8×10 print
• Do I want to have to read the manual?
  P&S cameras, for the most part, are easy to use. DSLRs, for the most part, are not. If you want to be able to take the camera out of the box and start taking photos, and you have never used an advanced camera before, go with a point and shoot. Instead of spending your days wading through the manual, you can spend them taking photos, which is why you bought the camera in the first place, right?

In the end, you really need to look at your uses for the camera and ask yourself if you really need the extra features of a DSLR. Most of the time, a point and shoot camera is the best choice, as it is portable, easy-to-use, and, provided you buy a good one, great quality. If you really want creative control, however, you’ll want to look at a DSLR.

Make sure to read the next installment in the series, entitled “How to Buy a Point and Shoot Digital Camera: What should I look for when buying?”

I’ve decided to do a series over the next few days on my tips on buying a point and shoot camera. I’ve been asked countless times by friends and family about “what camera should I get?,” and I’m aiming to help answer that with this series. I’ll cover everything from what features to look for to where to buy it from, so keep checking back over the next few days.

I’ll be posting my first part of the series later today, “Should I get a digital point and shoot?”

Just a note: in case you’re new to the world of photography, a “point and shoot” camera is typically a compact camera at a smaller size. Lens are not swappable, and advanced features such as manual exposure are generally limited. A “DSLR” or “SLR” (the “D” represents digital) is what you may think of when you think of a professional photographer. Lenses are swappable and the user has far more control over their photos. I’ll be posting a “how-to” on DSLRs sometime later as well, so if you’re looking for a little more control, I’ll let you know my thoughts on what to look for.

The installments are as follows:

1. Is a point and shoot right for me?
2. What should I look for when buying?
3. What accessories do I need?
4. Where should I buy the camera and accessories?
5. I’ve got the camera, now what?

While surfing around today, I came across the DIY Photography Blog where they had an interesting post entitled “What Differentiates an Artist from a Snapper?”. Something I found interesting was the author’s idea of why people take photos:

There are so many reasons for wanting to take pictures of something, but they all boil down to the same thing: The intension [sic] of keeping something that is not always there, forever.

There is really a lot of truth to this. No matter whether you’re taking quick shots of friends or carefully planned shots of the Grand Canyon, it’s still photography—the goal is still to capture a moment in time to save forever. But at what point does it stop being a snapshot and turn into art? There probably is no good answer, but I’m going to take a stab at it.

For me, photographic art is when the photographer captures a scene or an object exactly as he/she sees it—instead of showing the world a view everyone already knows, the artistic photographer manages to show the way they see things. But it goes even beyond that! Photography is art when the photographer is able to not only give a new view on the world but also put meaning behind it as well, and say something with their image.

Take for instance pretty much any of Ansel Adams’ images. He practiced a technique called “previsualization” in which before even pressing the shutter button, he would know exactly how he wanted his scene to show up on the final print. He took photos that are so endearing because they don’t just portray the cliffs of Yosemite, but instead show his view. In any of his many shots at the famous national park, the cliffs always have an imposing nature, a dark and strong look that you just will not find in a tourist snapshot of the same location. Ansel Adams was able to go past what the rest of the world saw and show everyone exactly what he saw. This is what makes photography art.

Now, I am by no means saying that you have to take photos like those of Ansel Adams in order to produce art. Once again, art is subjective, and, in the end, it’s mostly about what it means to the photographer. If a photo you’ve taken really means a lot to you, for whatever reason, I would most certainly call that art, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Online photo communities have helped me improved a lot over the years, as they are generally home to some very knowledgeable people and are great places to post photos to for critique. Here are a few I’ve been part of:

• Flickr
  Without a doubt, this is my favorite—I’m planning on writing a full post on it at some point, but for right now I’ll leave it at the basics. Flickr is an excellent photosharing community complete with everything you would want from one; it’s very easy to use, there are some very knowledgeable people to help you, and it’s fun!
• FredMiranda.com
  This is a great resource for any type of photographer, beginner to professional. With forums for all different topics, you can post images for review and also ask gear related questions. There is a huge userbase, so questions are generally answered very quickly, and there are loads of very photo-savvy people to help you out. There is strong base of digital users, although there are plenty of film users as well.
• Photo Takers
  I just joined Photo Takers, but so far it seems to be great. Once again, some very intelligent people and there’s a large userbase, although it doesn’t seem quite as big as fredmiranda. The people seem very helpful, and if you’re more of a beginning photographer, this may be a little better for you, as they have more boards dedicated to photographic techniques as opposed to just putting photos up for critique.

As I find more communities, I’ll definitely post them, but these three are my favorites right now.

In no particular order, here are my top 5 ways to improve your photos that have definitely helped me in the past.

• Use a prime lens
  Get yourself a prime lens (one that doesn’t zoom), or, if you can’t switch lenses, set it to one focal length and don’t change it. This will force you to move around and try new angles and perspectives. It will push you out of your comfort zone, and it will give you a little different view on the world.
• Go somewhere new
  There are only so many times you can take photos of the flowers in your backyard—try going somewhere new for a change! Whether it’s the next neighborhood over, a new town, or a new continent, it will make you adjust your photography to accomodate new subjects and will give you a chance to break out of any habits you’ve gotten stuck in.
• Learn how to use your camera
  Now, this one may seem kind of stupid, but it’s not. Even the greatest cameras in the world won’t do a darn thing if you don’t know how to use them. Read your manual and know everything your camera does; that way, when you’re out in the field you don’t need to worry about pulling out your manual to, say, set your exposure compensation or set the aperture, you can just concentrate on taking photos.
• Pick a theme
  Pick something to take photos of, and do it! One book I read said that he had an ongoing theme of trying to find letters of the alphabet in nature. Maybe you can take pictures of red boats, or one room houses. Either way, by choosing one thing to take photos of, it will make you keep trying to find new ways to photograph it.
• Photograph, photograph, photograph
  With the advent of the digital age, it barely costs anything to take hundreds of photos as compared to one. Instead of taking one photo of a person, take fifty! By taking more photos, you’ll learn what you like and what you don’t and your photography skills will increase immensely.

A few years ago, I took a photography class at the local community center. It went over all the basics: composition, exposure, etc. The teacher was also very insistent that we used manual mode on the camera. I never really understood why you would want to use manual—it just seemed like a pain, especially when you can just set the camera to aperture/shutter priority mode and let the camera change half of the exposure while you control the other. But, yesterday, while shooting the photo to the left, the camera was changing the exposure far too much due to the many differing types and amounts of light. So, I switched to manual and took a shot, looked at the histogram, and I kept taking shots until I got the histogram to look like what I wanted—no blown highlights, no lost shadow detail. (A good look at histograms from dpreview.com is here) Then, I was free to take photos without touching the exposure, and it came out just like I wanted. Needless to say, I’ll be using manual a lot more from now on.

For the weekend, my family and I are up at our house on Sebago Lake, Maine, and I was out taking some photos of my mom as she floated on the raft. I took one of my favorites into Photoshop and did some editing, and in the process I got some help online as well. Here’s the final image:

So, first off, after playing around with levels and curves (good look at the curves tool here), I wanted to make this photo very sharp, if not oversharp, so I could get a lot of texture from the way she was squinting her eyes. A lot of places I’ve read always rave about using unsharp mask, so I did a little searching for info, and I came across this site on how to use it. After reading through and trying it, however, it didn’t quite turn out like I wanted. However, as I was doing this, I was also watching the Radiant Vista Sizing Files for Web tutorial, and he mentioned something about Smart Sharpen, so I tried that and really liked the effect I got.

Then, I wanted to give it a bit of a “grittier” type of feel, and I came across the Lazlo toning action which, after playing around with a bit, gave me exactly the look I wanted.

Finally, using the Radiant Vista method for resizing files for the web that I mentioned, I resized the image and put it up on flickr.

Well, it’s time for my first “how-to,” and this one is a pretty cool one—creating a “soft focus” effect within Photoshop. This works well for flower shots, but it can also be used very nicely with portraiture. Basically, what I’m going to show you how to do is to take an image, like the one on the top below and transform it into the one on the bottom, which gains a sort of surreal effect. Click either of the pictures for a better look at what I’m describing.

This is really simple to achieve, and can be a lot of fun—read on for detailed steps.

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