Millions of people have fallen in love with their digital camera; and for good reason. They are compact making them easy to tote along anywhere a person may wander, they are capable of producing images of outstanding quality which can easily be shared online with others anywhere in the world, and with digital storage, they are a space saving wonder. In addition, digital cameras allow users to save the expense of film and developing. But perhaps the greatest attraction of these cameras is the control they provide over the images one creates during the editing process.

Unfortunately, most of those who love digital cameras have also come to know their dark side; their thirst for power. From the first touch of the button to power a digital camera on, setting the focus, shutter speed, zooming, and providing a flash for image capture, to reviewing images taken and editing, these cameras are energy junkies. Read the rest of this entry »

Digital cameras usually come with with editing software. They provide basic editing tools including a red-eye reduction and cropping. Some have instant fix tools that are intended to correct color and lighting, but they can damage your photos with irreversible correction where you have not saved a RAW file to return to if need be. To make the most of your photos you will need to invest in a graphics software program. Investigate the various software packages out there to ensure quality.

1. Basic Tools

The software should include basic tools like cropping or cutting a portion of the photograph in one easy step. There should be a tool to combine various elements from different images to make a collage. It is essential to have a manual adjustment tool for brightness and contrast. You will need a software editing tool that allows you to adjust the color balance and saturation. Filtering tools will ideally include custom, CC or Wratten filters. The tool that allows you to convert the image color to black and white should include several editing options. Two of the most common are greyscale and duotones. Read the rest of this entry »

For the average person, digital cameras are the tool of choice to snap pictures of family and friends, to record special events, and to capture images of inspiring landscapes seen on vacations. However, for some, a love of nature, simple curiosity, or an interest in photography as a hobby guides them toward the world of close-up, or macro, photography. Close-up photography is simply a matter of taking pictures of small objects by getting very close and obtaining a magnified view. For anyone serious about macro photography an SLR camera is needed but for those interested in dabbling with their basic digital camera, a little experimentation can produce interesting close-up photographs.

Special “macro” lenses are recommended for the enthusiast but most digital cameras can accept small screw on “close-up” lenses which provide additional magnification. The digital cameras most consumers purchase are auto focus and merely require the push of a button to enter close or “macro” mode but the owner’s manual should be reviewed to discover the minimum focusing distance of the camera. When shooting at a distance of only inches there are a number of precautions to take to assure a high quality image. Read the rest of this entry »