?Dodging and Burning? are essential techniques to finish off any black and white image, especially useful for atmospheric or moody images. This is a fantastic method of producing black and white Landscapes in particular. It?s a fairly simple technique that requires an image editing program like Photoshop, but most good editing programs have a ?Dodging & Burning? tool, which aren?t too difficult to use. In simple terms, dodging and burning is a process of improving the light (dodging) or dark (burning) areas of a black and white image (mono). You can apply this technique to pictures digital images taken in black and white, or to those taken in colour and converted to mono later. It?s great for improving contrasts and producing striking areas within the picture, however it?s important to remember that although dodging and burning can be used to improve an image, it cannot work miracles, so your original image must be of a decent quality to begin with. We always suggest taking time to get the shot right when you take the snap. It?ll make any editing easier and ultimately produce a better final image.

So how do we use the ?Dodging & Burning? technique? Firstly open your picture in a digital editing program and find the Dodging & Burning Tool. You might like to use the programs ?auto contrast? or ?one click fix? button first. This may just improve your image slightly before you start the dodging and burning. Its normally a good idea to let the program balance your image first in this way.

If you are able, it will be useful be to print a copy of your image first and mark the areas you want to enhance. A paper copy is easier to work with than the on screen version. Mark the areas of the printed version that are highlights and shadow. When Dodging & Burning you are trying to increase the contrasts in the picture, so having lots of grey areas isn?t the desired effect. Also do not overkill the area selections. Choose a few areas you think could be improved, but be selective. Dodging & Burning should be very subtle so use no more than 6% opacity on the brush, and be sure to use lots of sweeping strokes to keep the effect even and blended. Using large brushes helps too, around 400 to 500 diameter soft brushes are best. The opacity and brush settings are variable in all editing programs that allow dodging and burning, so don?t worry if your not sure what this means. You?ll spot them when you select the dodge and burn tool. Most importantly, remember to only ever ?dodge? highlights and only ever ?burn? mid-tones and shadows. If you try to burn highlights you?ll end up with a horrible dirty grey result, and dodging shadows and mid-tones only creates noise in the image, neither of which looks good.

Using the subtle settings mentioned above, apply the Dodging & Burning tool to the image ONLY on the areas you previously chose on the paper copy. Please don?t get carried away with this as the final result will look harsh and artificial! Stick to the areas you chose and then once your done, print the image! Photo-paper and high quality printer settings will display your hard work best.

You may not notice too much difference..until you place your final print next to the original print. You?ll be amazed at the improvement! Finally, this is a guide to standard ?Dodging & Burning? but as with every aspect of digital photography, experiment for your self! Try different images, try different opacities and try different brush types! The more you experiment and practice, the better you?ll become, and the better you?ll be at identifying areas of images that would benefit most from a little Dodging & Burning!

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When I first got my digital camera, I was very excited by all the things promised to me in the manual. Instant focusing, picture editing, tones and textures. To read the manual there was very little this camera would not be able to do for me. I had ideas of taking the photos for my friend’s up and coming wedding, and hopefully every other momentous event in all of our lives.

However it turned out to be somewhat more difficult than I had imagined. The camera did have all the functions promised, that wasn’t the problem. It was more that I didnt really have any idea how or when to use them effectively. Oh the simple stuff was fine, setting timers and zooming etc. Even some of the tone settings were quite easy to use. Yet when it came to the more complicated things I was at a dead loss. Even more disheartening, my landscape shots simply weren’t coming out in any interesting kind of way. I wanted to be able to take the postcard kind of shot that makes everyone grab the photos for a look, but all I was getting were boring flat shots which didn’t capture what I’d seen at all.

Moreover I simply wanted to be far more technically proficient with the camera also, in the hope of improving my art. I looked into a few local college photography courses and though they did seem to offer the kind of information I was looking for, the price was always far to high to invest in what was simply a hobby. What I needed was a step by step guide to digital photography which hopefully wouldn’t break the bank.

I tried book stores, but the only books relating to a step by step guide to digital photography seemed very out of date when compared to the top of the line camera that I had bought. So at this point it seemed my only solution would be the internet. I tried logging onto various photographic forums and asking questions, but the information was too sporadic and disjointed to really be any use to a beginner such as myself. So I started looking for a step by step guide to digital photography in the form of an e-book.

I found my answer in Digital Photography Success, a very good e-book based step by step guide to digital photography which was far cheaper than any other option I had seen. After following the instructions in this book I really feel like I am taking advantage of all the features offered in my camera, and producing some great photographs. You should see my landscape photos now, amazing.

So I would without a doubt recommend this course to anyone who wants to get more out of their digital camera, and produce some photos which will really be appreciated for years to come. If you would like to visit the site simply click here to read more about their step by step digital photography courses.

About the Author

John Samuels is a systems analyst and sometimes amateur photographer.

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Digital photography makes it ultra-simple to take photos, however if you want to take superb images, you need to put thought into how you compose your photographs.

Let’s look at the so-called “rules” of composition. You don’t have to follow these rules, but it helps to know what they are. Even if you totally ignore them, you’ll be amazed at how often your best shots follow these rules.

Composition’s Rule Of Thirds - Divide Your Frame Into Three Areas

The best shot I’ve ever taken followed this rule exactly, and the shot happened completely by accident. I was holding my camera at dusk, when a boy and his dog ran towards me - they formed two thirds of the frame, and a car’s backlights in the left of the frame made the final third.

Try it. Compose your frames according to the rule of thirds, and you’ll be amazed at the interest your photos achieve with little effort.

Fill The Frame, So That The Eye Is Drawn Across The Image

Don’t be afraid to fill the frame of your shot completely. For portraits, this means getting close to your subjects, and if you’re shooting children, getting down on their level, or slightly below, so that you’re looking up at them.

Take Real-Life Images - Take Photos In The Middle Of Daily Life

Staged photos usually aren’t as good as candid images. When you’re photographing people, get them actively engrossed in something that they enjoy, so that they become unaware of you after a few minutes. Although this takes longer to get your photos, it also means that you can capture the personality of your subjects.

Digital photography is a lot of fun, and it’s inexpensive too. Don’t be afraid to take lots of images - you can always delete them - and before you know it, you’ll have some images which are frame-worthy and of which you’re proud.

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Digital photography is very popular these days. If you have recently shifted from film cameras to digital photography, it is essential that you understand the various terms and abbreviations associated with it:

A PIXEL It is the smallest part of a digital image. Pixels are combined with millions of other pixels to form a photo image. The resolution of digital cameras is expressed in terms of pixels.

The total quantity of pixels in a photo image is the RESOLUTION. The quality of the picture becomes sharper and better with the increase in resolution; more pixels mean better the quality.

One million pixels make a MEGAPIXEL. A picture with three or four megapixels will have much better quality than a picture with just one.

DPI (dots per inch) is used to describe the quality of a printer or computer monitor. Laser printers have about 300 dpi resolution, while monitors only have 72. Photo quality inkjet printers have a dpi of at least 1200 dpi. Here again, more the dpi, better the quality.

MEGABYTE represents computer memory. One megabyte equals one million bytes of file storage capacity.

JPEG stands for joint photographic experts group. It represents a format for storing images in digital cameras. JPEG files can be displayed easily on the Internet and e-mailed.

The digital files of all digital cameras need to be stored on a MEMORY CARD. The sizes of these cards depend upon the amount of storage capacity required. For convenience, buy as big of a card as you can afford. This is one computer-related storage space you?ll use all of, routinely.

LCD is an acronym for liquid crystal display. Most digital cameras have this feature so that the photographer can check the scene before clicking, then review the picture after taking the photo.

Happy clicking!

About the Author:

http://www.travel-outdoor-tips.com http://www.recreation-news-magazine.com

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Michael loved taking pictures with the camera. This person started out using the 35mm. Model first that didn?t have any accessories such as the zoom lens.

It was only after saving up enough money working at the local bar that this individual can afford to buy a camera just as good like those used by the professionals. There were not that many models anymore where the user has to reload the roll of film.

The old ways have been replaced with digital cameras where the images are saved into the memory card that can be uploaded into the computer.

Michael thought that this is great since there won?t be additional costs anymore in having film developed. Since there was a computer at home, the digital camera can be hooked up and burned to a CD or developed using the printer.

After looking around, this person decided to get the Sony digital camera. This had 8.1 pixel graphics and was friendly. Each unit came with a manual, CD and charger.

Each time a customer makes a purchase, a short tutorial is given so the person will have an idea how to use it before leaving the shop.

It was hard to remember everything the clerk said at the store. When Michael got home, the manual and the digital camera were examined to be able to know every part of this new toy.

The CD that came with the unit was installed into the computer. This gave Michael also an online tutorial of how to use the camera, how to upload and have the pictures developed in the printer.

It didn?t take long to learn everything so that the digital camera can be brought out and used to take pictures. A friend at work who bought a similar item advised Michael to get some trial shots.

Since the images can be deleted from the memory, many pictures can be taken and reviewed. Those that are good were saved in the computer, which was sometimes used as the background in the desktop.

The digital camera is easy to use. The individual can learn using the tutorial features in the CD or learn more about this by logging into the manufacturer?s website.

The innovations in these small devices change every few months rather than years. This means the pixel graphics will improve making the model bought obsolete. The individual can upgrade the digital camera or choose to buy a new one later on.

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Digital photography is such a promising hobby. You have the beautiful people and places to photograph already. You’ve found a digital camera that fits your lifestyle and budget. All is good.

But sometimes, the pictures aren’t quite perfect. Someone blinked, a random crow flew into your shot, your darling little one twitched at the last second and caused red eyes. The list of what can go wrong with your pictures is seemingly endless.

The key to all of these nagging little details is a piece of digital photography processing software that you understand and can use. As you probably already know, the two most popular pieces of software on the market today are Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. Depending on what you are wanting to do and how much you’re wanting to spend, there are pro’s and con’s for each piece of software.

What Makes Paint Shop Pro Perfect for Beginners?

If you’re just starting out with digital photography and editing your own pictures, Paint Shop Pro may just be for you. The choice of many beginning photographers, Corel Paint Shop Pro is a great piece of software on which to learn the basics of digital image processing.

The number one reason most people choose Paint Shop Pro is cost. People who want to use the software of their choice for their personal photographs can find the cost of Adobe Photoshop much too high. Paint Shop Pro can be purchased for much less than Adobe Photoshop, which can be almost 5 times as expensive.

Paint Shop Pro is also an easier piece of software to learn than Photoshop. Using some of the tutorials available online or in books, you can learn the basics of Paint Shop Pro in just a few days and get much more in-depth within a few weeks. Photoshop, on the other hand, can take years to completely master.

Advantages of Photoshop

If, on the other hand, you want to delve further into digital image editing and actually possibly do work professionally, you need to purchase Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is considered the gold standard in the digital photography processing industry. Most if not all professional photographers and photography editors use Photoshop.

Without a question, Photoshop is a much more powerful piece of software than Paint Shop Pro. Straight out of the box, Photoshop has many more bells and whistles than Paint Shop Pro. But on top of its basic strength, you can also purchase add-on’s from both Adobe and other companies. This can include filters, lightboxes, digital elements, and much more. These additions make your Photoshop suite even better for the professional-quality digital photography processor.

So if you’re in the market for a new piece of digital image editing software for your digital photography, be sure to choose the one that both suits your needs and budget. And don’t forget, your needs may change as you learn more about digital photography and become more skilled.

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Besides an improperly exposed photo, the other most common mistake beginning photographers (and sometimes the pros) make is not getting a photo that is in sharp focus. There are times when you may want to have an intentional blur in your photo ? perhaps to show motion. But most of the time, the sharper your photo the better. The automatic exposure feature of your digital camera is often good enough to for a sharp photo. There are times, however, when you will want to take control of your camera?s settings to get an even better picture. Here are some tips to help you consistently take sharper photos.

1. Choose the right shutter speed ? Shutter speed means how long the shutter of your digital camera stays open. It?s expressed as a fraction of a second, such as 1/30th or 160th or 1/400th. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the shutter is open, and the more likely your are to get a blurred picture. If your digital camera is in automatic mode, make sure the shutter speed the camera is showing is at least 1/125th. It?s very hard to do get a sharp photo at a slower speed. For moving objects, you?ll need a setting of at least 1/400th to stop the motion. If the auto mode is not showing a fast enough shutter speed, switch the camera to the shutter priority setting and set the shutter speed manually.

2. Choose the right aperture setting ? The aperture setting is how wide the shutter opens when you take a short with your digital camera. It is a trade-off. If you increase the shutter speed to prevent blurring, the shutter must open wider to let in enough light because of the reduced time it is open. If the opening is larger for a faster shutter speed, the you may loose some depth of field, which is whether objects close to your and further away from you are in focus at the same time. To maximize depth of field, shoot with the slowest shutter speed that is appropriate to the situation. If you?re shooting an object that?s not moving, set a small aperture. But if you?re shooting a moving object, you may have to use a higher shutter speed. You may loose some depth of field, but this may not be a problem if the object you?re shooting is what?s really important in your photo and not what?s in the background also.

3. Minimize camera movements ? If you know you?ll be in a situation where you?ll have to shoot under low light conditions with a slow shutter speed, use a tripod. You can also use a tripod on a sunny day to minimize camera moment to allow you to shoot with a small aperture and a slower shutter speed for greater depth of field. Most professional nature and landscape photos you see were done with a tripod.

4. Follow your object ? If you?re shooting a moving object, try planting your feet solidly and bracing your arms tightly against your sides, and follow the moving object by turning your body. This can keep your subject in focus, although your background will be blurred.

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So you bought a digital camera and now you want to start a digital photography business. With all the software for posting photos online, this makes a digital photography business more realistic today than ever before.

In fact, anyone who has, or is looking to start their own digital photography business can now use the Internet as a solution to selling more of their digital photographs. Digital photographs can be uploaded and you, as the photographer can sell your photographs to anyone with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world. This concept has greatly increased the digital photography business for photographers around the globe while increasing their sales in their digital photography business.

It does not take much to start your own digital photography business. In fact, you can get started with just a simple digital camera and an Internet connection and the desire to own your own digital photography business. For those who want to start a digital photography business can do so from their home. A home based digital photography business is ideal for college students, stay at home moms and retired individuals looking to supplement their income. In fact, a home based digital photography business is one of the best home based business one can start.

There are some things, however, to consider such as the type of business you will set up. Whether a sole owner or a LLC, you will need to know the legal aspects of setting up your digital photography business as with any business. Once you have all the legal aspects in place, the next step in your digital photography business is to start taking digital photographs, submit them online and start making money.

To learn more about the specifics of starting a digital photography business read on…

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Eric was finally able to buy a digital camera. Though the price of this was very affordable, the delay was caused by other priorities, which also needed to be dealt with.

The reason why Eric decided to get a digital camera was to see if it was possible to shoot the same images as those seen in the magazines or in the newspaper. This may just be a hobby and not full time but this person wanted to learn and be just as good as the experts.

The first thing that Eric did is being familiar with all of the functions of the digital camera. The individual can make the adjustments or let the machine do it in order to get a clear shot.

There are no limits to the number of practice shots that need to be taken. This is because a digital camera has a huge memory, which can hold up to 300 pictures in one session. When the individual is ready to take real shots, the old ones can be deleted.

Another technique to be just like the pros is to observe proper lighting when taking a shot. Some pictures will look better when a flash is used while others need to be adjusted to get a night shot. Digital cameras have this feature, which are not available in the old 35mm cameras made many years ago.

The individual should also know when to zoom in or out. There are two important factors such as the number of people and the type of background. The focus must be on the subject with the landmark or whatever is behind as the accent for the shot.

A lot of photographers both professional and amateur shoot with the model in the middle. Some have noticed better pictures when this is done with the subject on the side, which may work depending on the location.

The techniques in shooting just like the pros can be self-taught. There are also books and magazines available but it will be better if someone critiques the pictures by participating in a seminar or in a contest. The objective isn?t to win but to improve in the skills already learned by the individual.

The person can concentrate on taking great shots especially when there is no need to worry anymore about buying a roll of film or developing.

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This is the first in a series of profiles of photographers from various parts of the imaging spectrum. In the future we will shine the light on news photographers, commercial photographers, nature photographers and so on in order to give you the digital photographer some valuable insights to help make your images better.

Geraldine Allen is our first subject artist in the spot light. Initially trained in art history and graphic design in the UK; Geraldine gained valuable experience in aesthetics and design principles. Later in life she undertook study of Psychology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honors degree. However, Geraldine’s long time interest and passion for photography drew her back. Enthused by the possibilities brought about by Adobe Photoshop in its early days of development, she was soon absorbed by experimenting with digitized photographic collages. It was then she decided to return to Salisbury College in the UK to formalize her experience and update her knowledge of the visual media industry.

Geraldine studied Creative Digital Arts to familiarize herself with industry standard multimedia software, and wishing to focus on still imaging, then chose to complete her BA (Honors) in PhotoMedia (Photography). Whilst computer manipulation was becoming increasingly popular, she chose to experiment [and now favors] “in camera” effects.

When did your ?aha? moment arrive; the time when you knew that your affinity for photography could take you further regarding your creative and professional career? ?I took a candid shot of my teenage son one day when I just happened to be at an elevated height; the combination of height, the long lens, and the way I had composed his posture in the frame brought an interesting result and I thought then that there are so many variables and I would never get bored if I did this for a living. I had always enjoyed photography but I didn’t really learn much until digital came along. All of a sudden I learned so fast because the results were instant and I could relate which mistakes were associated with which controls.?

Do you prefer total control over your photographic subjects or do you sometimes shoot natural non-studio images? ?I don’t have a preference. I am so passionate about photography and there are so many different aspects that I find it impossible to hold favoritism. I have to separate photography into genres and I take a different approach according to that genre. For example, creative photos are pre-conceived in the mind of the photographer/artist, so it does require the subject to be set up and controlled - to a degree. Although studio controlled images dominate my light painted portfolio, I often leave people as subjects to position themselves. The picture aims to portray a little essence of their natural character. I do help them with ideas if they are stuck though, usually by distracting them with conversation and saying “hold it there” when I think a particular posture, expression or mannerism would work well for the picture.

For nature pictures I rarely control anything except perhaps using a little fill flash or a reflector in conjunction with the available light. I make a conscious effort not to interfere with a natural scene as I wish to document it as real and naturally as possible. Having said that I must confess I can’t help moving obtrusive litter, sticks or stones from the frame.?

Have you ever had a mentor who had an impact on your style and art? ?I received an awful lot of support from a wonderful tutor called Ian Smith at Salisbury College in the UK. Whilst I was given endless encouragement to experiment in whichever way I liked, I was also taught to question everything and to give that experimentation some decisive direction. I was to ask myself what my pictures were trying to communicate, and to plan them with specific intention and aims. In the final year at Salisbury College I reached the dreaded stage where I was forced to choose one field of specialization. God forbid, how was I to make a single choice when I loved all and sundry from traditional to completely abstract and contemporary? I remember actually struggling to hold back tears when it came to the point of my having to drop some genres. I was a cop-out really because I chose to stick with two fields instead of one; fine art and nature, and then I used a unifying concept to put them both in my final portfolio!

I was also privileged enough to work with landscape photographer Charlie Waite in his studio for some months. Although practicalities of work and business dominated our concerns, I observed his attitudes toward his projects and indeed within his natural day-to-day practicalities. If I had to choose one primary point that I will always remember, it would be how he would look at the sky and all around whenever he stepped outdoors. He would immediately and instinctively study the light and how it fell upon subjects in his immediate surroundings, no matter where he was or what he was doing. You could say he was obsessed with light! So, he taught me the most valuable lesson of all; to study the natural laws of light, how it naturally affected the world around and how different it looked according to the various conditions.?

Your best advice for budding digital photographers? ?Experiment, and then experiment some more! Make full use of manual controls instead of sticking with the safe Auto mode. Don’t just refer to the manual when you are stuck on how to operate a basic control, but read it all from front to back and then test out each and every advanced control. That way you get to know your camera thoroughly, and you may happen upon some interesting effects. Try different levels of fill flash, use the white balance, and test the effects of speed/aperture on depth of field. Oh, and look at possible uses for any mistakes! I have been known to use prior unintentional mistakes, as deliberate controlled effects at a later date.?

What kind of digital camera gear do you favor? ?Predominantly, I am a digital SLR user of the Canon variety. I just like the look, the feel and the performance of Canon. A Canon feels right in my hand so what more can I say?

Currently I am shooting with a Canon D60, which I was very happy to own when they were first released. Unfortunately 6 months down the line the 10D was released with a substantial drop in price to boot. Now of course there is the 20D too! Such are the agonies of being a die-hard techie fiend. I use only fixed focal length lenses, having found the ‘ever-practical’ zoom to let me down with zoom creep on long exposures.?

Currently Geraldine is using four lenses: a 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, a 35mm f/2, a 100m f/2.8 Macro, and a 200mm f/2.8 L - all Canon EF. Of course using these lenses on a DSLR mean the focal length is longer than using on a film SLR due to the size of the sensor, which is why the fisheye is not truly ‘fisheye’ but just very wide, and the 35mm is used as the standard workhorse lens - the equivalent of a 50mm. Shooting an awful lot of nature pictures, her 100mm macro lens has proved a wise investment, allowing her to gain that extra close distance both for macro work and longer distance shots.

Geraldine says ?I have never had much desire to shoot very long distance. I tried a 300mm ‘L’ glass once, but sold it within a fortnight. The thing was a monster, and at f5.6 widest aperture, it was just not fast enough coupled with the focal length and weight of the thing. I simply could not achieve sharp enough pictures. Rather than bring faraway subjects close to me, I prefer bringing tiny things into my visual plane, so that I can study each tiny little detail. I therefore have a natural affinity for Macro photography and Photomicrography. I use an IMXZ Microscope with a zoom factor from x10 - x40 for real tiny subjects, or when I want to reveal what the eye cannot normally see, but with an aperture of f0, I am inevitably dissatisfied with the lack of sharpness throughout. Quite often I will just use the ’sweet spot’ area and crop down afterward. I also have a bellows for an FD lens but I rarely achieve a satisfactory result owing to the lack of mobility and adaptability. I would really enjoy the more mobile MP-E65 but unfortunately it’s not within the budget at the present time.

I missed the medium format experience altogether, but what a great discovery it was to find out I could afford a large format system! I ended up with a 4×5 Toyo View camera with a monorail extension, dark cloth, lots of double dark slides, an Schneider Symmar-S 150mm f5.6, and two boxes of Fuji Provia RDP II, all for ?400!!! The film and processing costs have been adding up since, and the results still look plainly ‘LF novice’. ?

The only other shooting equipment I have are two strobes, a 1000 watt halogen lamp, a Canon Speedlite 550EX, softbox, reflectors and stands. These are not used very often, but are on standby for the odd studio request. Generally though I prefer natural light and natural settings.

Post shoot editing of course requires a digital darkroom. I use a fast processor Dell PC with tons of RAM, a Mac Powerbook G4, an Olympus Camedia Dye Sub printer, a Canon S9000 inkjet, and an Epson Perfection 4870 scanner for my 4×5 film. Let’s also not forget that king of king piece of software - Adobe Photoshop. I just upgraded to CS and I’m not disappointed. ooops… I forgot to mention my trusty set of three halogen torches for light painting…. nothing special or expensive, just normal household torches of various strength.” Says Ms Allen.

Geraldine has always been intrigued by the magical, unique and otherworldly qualities found in the work of photographers like Robert Damachy, Julia Margaret Cameron, Diane Arbus, and Sarah Moon. Specific influences on her photographic development with her light painting have been Berthold Steinhilber, Jorg Grundler, and Diana Thorneycroft.

If you visit her site you will see some of the wonderful macro photography Geraldine captures. Many of those are floral based subject matter. She says “for floral macros, I like to use extremely limited depth of field. This means I inevitably make use of a longer focal length [100mm], the closest shooting distance possible and a wide aperture [often f2]. This usually means the shutter speed is quite fast because there is plenty of light entering the lens. But, that does not mean I do not need a tripod in a natural setting. Often I like to have only the tiniest element in focus, which means handheld shooting is a definite no-no, as the plane of focus can slip at the slightest movement [in the camera or subject]. If the element to be focused on is flat, then generally it is easier to achieve sharpness where I want it. However if it is curved or rounded I try to make sure the camera is positioned at such an angle as to allow the element to be parallel with the back of the camera so that as much of the element as possible is on the same plane as the sensor or film back.”

You can see the portfolio of her fine art photography at her web site: www.photo-art-gallery.com

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