Dickie Gamble

There are many mediums to choose from in photography.  Often a person will begin with still life photography and work their way towards portraits, wildlife, or landscapes depending upon their interests.  Still life photography teaches a person to use light and shadows to find the emotion of the object.  Here I will discuss many different aspects of still life pictures.

Still life expresses the photographers self while using in animate objects such as pottery, flowers, candles, leaves, and fruit.  The first step in still life photography is the lighting.  You will want the object to have light from a single direction, so that you can cast shadows as well as light on the object.  This will give it a depth of field, and dimension.  You will need to choose whether you want a soft or harsh light.  The more harsh the light the more shadow you will have.  Often in still life reflectors are used to tone the light down.  The best type of lighting for still life photography is side- lighting because you will attain more contrast between the object.

With still life photography, you have color control.  You can choose the colors of the objects you use.  When choosing the colors say with leaves and fruits you will want a contrast in colors, but retain a natural look.  Harmony is the best word to use when attaining color control.  The color will attract the viewer’s eye, so if it is displeasing to you the chances are your viewers will find it just as displeasing.

With still life, you can choose an abstract motif.  You may choose to put two objects together that do not make sense, but create a moving picture.  You might have an interesting cut on fruit, such as a melon to reveal the inside core.  The angle of the cut and the meaning of the picture will require thought from the viewer. Some viewers see different from what another viewer might see. This happens in the art world daily. What one thinks represents art another finds unappealing. Never let these influence your dreams and stop you from becoming even better in your work as a photographer.

You can also have control of variations.  You can use the same subject repeatedly with different backgrounds, arrangements, and other objects.  The key is to avoid clutter while creating contrast.  The rule of thirds of composition is a great way to utilize still life objects.  You can create a pattern based on the rule of thirds.  Setting up the arrangements and trying several shots will lead you to finding the harmony between the objects.

You may think still life photography lacks the depth of other mediums; however, it can be used as a stepping-stone to greater photography.  Still life can include an arranged garden to please the eye or a natural look.  You can use natural light to offset the shadows and find the contrast.  Still life inside or outside creating the arrangements is just one way to find pictures you will wish to display or give to friends.  Remember lighting, color, and variations on arrangements will provide you will tons of subjects.

Applications for still life photography can include taking photographs for magazines.  Often magazines have still life photos to show flower arrangements or decorating ideas for the home.  With the many choices in photography, still life takes a special eye for arranging objects and understanding lighting techniques.  With all of photography being art you need to pick the subjects that will speak most to you and make them speak to others. These types of pictures go well when deciding to sell your photos or display them for the public. All pictures whether you think it or not may be just what someone wants to display and may offer to buy it. This helps you start a real goldmine of a business if you feel confident with your work.

As a photography enthusiast or even a newbie, you probably have been looking around shops for a good camera. With all the new models coming out and seemingly highly mechanized systems, you might find yourself in the middle of doubt and confusion. Which camera should you get? What is the advantage of one model over the other? Does it necessarily mean that bigger cameras give better results? To give you a hint, the elements of a certain camera system (flash units, lenses, etc) is more important to consider than the model itself. Canon SLR Digital Camera surfaces satisfaction for every element. The following is an overview of this camera.

Before going into the general picture, let us discuss the basics. The acronym SLR means single-lens reflex. From the term, it simply means that the camera has one lens that is used for picture-taking and view finding. It gives you command over a wide choice of settings that affects the quality of the photos you take. As you look through the viewfinder, you are directly looking through the picture-taking lens. What you see then will be pretty exactly what will be in the final outcome. Canon SLR Digital Camera offers this fantastic feature for you to even more enjoy photography.

Digital camera or also known as digicam is a camera that takes still photos or videos or both digitally. This means that it records images by means of electronic image sensor. Canon SLR Digital Camera obviously offers this option. When compared to a film camera, digital cameras are more convenient. It immediately displays images on a screen after they are shot. Images of film cameras are numbered; the image you take is what comes out. Digital cameras on the other hand can store thousands of images in a memory device and it also gives you the option to delete images and lets you choose whether or not to print a certain image.

But wait, you say, other cameras offer these features too. Indeed, you can find these features in other cameras but Canon SLR Digital Camera offers you more than just that. High-performance digital imaging is at its reach with this in hand. All the great features you see from different SLR cameras are perfectly combined in Canon SLR Digital Camera with its advanced color processing technology and imaging. It is the ideal tool to improve your pictures as it offers high quality images for transmission, archiving or reproduction, digital image editing and many more.

Canon SLR Digital Camera also comes with uncommon features like dust control, image stabilization, live view, and extra dynamic range. Additionals, however, come into place as you go to a higher level of camera group (consumer, semi-professional, professional and über-professional). Depending on what group you belong, you still get the total satisfaction from a Canon SLR Digital Camera because it caters to every level and photography experience. With all these within your reach, photography will never be the same again. Taking your photography skills to another level is not as difficult as before.

Unlike classes you took in school, digital photography classes are not only interesting but also a lot of fun. With the wonderful, affordable digital cameras available on the market today, digital photography schools are extremely popular. They teach you all aspects of taking digital photos including instructing you on the internal parts and mechanics of your digital camera. This helps a student to choose the right digital camera when the time comes to buy one. Digital photography classes start with an introductory lesson that gives you a general summary of digital photography and camera setup, so you understand what a digital camera and photography are capable of accomplishing. These classes usually concentrate on teaching the student the important manual mode of taking photos.

To become a great photographer, a student must understand and learn skills that give them control over how their pictures turn out. Depending completely on built-in automatic camera controls, such as auto flash, exposure or focus, does not always give you the best digital photographs. Taking consistently great digital photos requires both aesthetic and technical mastery, composition and shooting techniques. You learn about the fine points of taking a photo, such as in-depth composition training and details. Digital photography classes also teach you about editing your photos and processing digital photographs. They take you through the process of accessing stored images on the memory cards, along with great PC editing techniques and tweaks that transform even an average picture into a fabulous work of art. You also learn how to turn your digital images into a compact file so you are able to upload them onto the internet.

Digital photography classes teach students hands-on experience, by taking you on outdoor field trips. You learn theory in class but outdoor filming teaches a person about lighting issues. They teach you all about night photography and the problems you may encounter. They also teach you how filters tone down and correct photo tints, when you take pictures in full sunlight. Your teacher helps you deal with any photography issues you encounter while on an outing, that might not occur when you practice in a classroom setting. They work with you in different settings and locations to help you fine-tune your digital filming, resulting in great pictures every time. Because there are so many things a photographer is capable of doing with their digital images, such as printing, you learn the fundamental and basics of getting quality digital prints. Digital photography classes are a perfect way to learn about the art of digital photography, become knowledgeable and take great pictures. If you find you love taking classes and learning about digital photography, advanced classes are available for students thinking of entering into professional digital photography.