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Cliff's Best 1 -
For
some of my favorite photos, with tips, visit
Cliff's Best 2
 My
Photo Hobby -
In the late '60s I began to
enjoy photography on a different level
when I
learned about composition, lighting and controlling results through camera
settings. That's when I started thinking about every shot to get the
results I wanted. Like
most people, I enjoy taking pictures of family, friends and events. But
what I have come to appreciate most are the
opportunities that vacations
present, especially in our wonderful national parks. Beautiful landscapes,
wildlife, nature
and more can be
shot in a variety of interesting light conditions that occur throughout the day. In 2004, when digital
matched film quality, I made the
switch. The best thing about digital is that it allows me to edit and print
for the exact results I want. I alternate between three
 digital cameras, depending upon the
situation. My
Nikon D40x
DSLR is my primary camera, thought at times I switch to my smaller
Sony DSC-H5 or compact
Sony DSC-W130 when it is more
convenient.
Improving
Your Photography -
You can significantly improve your photography with a little thought and
learning. Here are a few tips:
1) Read your manual to learn how to use the features of your camera.
Surprisingly, most people don't do this. 2)
Don't just point and shoot. Think about each shot and make it count.
3) Learn about
composition
to frame and balance each scene for more pleasing results. 4) Crop, enhance, straighten, fix redeye and
blemishes
with a good photo software program. I use
 ACDSee
Pro,
but the free Google Picasa
has all you need. 5) Organize by subject rather than date to find your
photos more easily. 6) Your photos will be more manageable if
you pare down your collection by deleting your worst pictures. 7) Only show your best pictures. Your friends
will appreciate it. When people visit PhotoPages or thumb through my
photo albums, they often comment that I take such great pictures. That's
when I tell them that the secret to good photography is knowing
which pictures to throw away!
Purchasing a Camera -
If you will only have one camera and want simplicity with lots of nice
features, go for a Canon Powershot S series or Sony DSC-H series. Both
 are excellent with nice features. Sony
ultra-compacts are great for a second camera as they are easy to carry
on your belt or in a purse. The flash is weak on these cameras, so they
are not a good choice for your 'only' camera. You could go all out with an entry level digital
DSLR, but
they are not small, not lightweight and
not for the faint-hearted. Some serious learning and patience will be necessary to
get the max out of a DSLR camera. Whichever camera you buy, be sure to read the manual
front-to-back to learn how to use it.
Converting
to Digital -
Use
a scanner to transfer old photos to your PC to preserve them and share with others.
Click here to learn how. Some photo
shops can convert
 your slides, photos and movies to digital CD or DVD format. I
recently had all of my slides and
movies transferred to DVDs for easy viewing on a
TV or computer.
Sharing Photos -
As you
already know, it's not convenient to share photos stored in your PC. I
suggest doing it the old fashioned way and keep them in photo albums.
They are easy to take with you or to share with others when they visit.
An album is a visual history of your family, friends and vacations. Plus
it's
easy to pass them on to your children. Posting photos online is a great
way to share the very best of your pictures: 1) You can post a limited number of photos at
one time with an online
 service
like Snapfish. 2) You can get a free web space from your internet
service provider, again with limited space. 3) For about $5 a month,
you can host a web site like PhotoPages with unlimited
space. Some even provide free software to build your site. If this
interests you, do a web search for "personal web hosts" to find one that
suits you. I use Microsoft FrontPage and Expression, but these programs
take some learning to be proficient.
Safeguarding
Photos -
I cannot
stress enough the importance of
backing up your digital photos to CD or DVD. A friend
recently lost all of his digital photos, five years worth, when his hard drive crashed. Every single photo lost forever! Don't
make this mistake.
Click here for some good photo tips and
learn how to back up to DVD or CD. I recommend using a DVD writer (about
$50) as a DVD holds seven times more data than a CD.
In Closing -
Remember that when it comes to photography, a little effort goes a long way and you
will be nicely rewarded as your photo collection grows.
For more than forty years, photography has given me much pleasure, with the added benefit of
recording many very special moments of my life. And PhotoPages gives me an
easy way
to share my photos with family and friends.
A Little Humor -
This
Pearls Before Swine
strip by Stephen Pastis sums it all up!
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