correctmyphotos

Let’s continue with the Digital Camera Basics presentation with the topic “How do I get photos from my camera to my computer?” This was the first question my friend, Bill, asked when his memory stick filled up and he couldn’t take any more pictures. Or, was it when his wife wanted to email pictures of the grand kids to a friend.  Whatever the reason, this is usually the first obstacle the new digital camera owner encounters. Fortunately, it really isn’t that complicated.

You probably already know a bit about the Windows Explore File Management system and how to create and name a folder for email and Word documents. Maybe you have even downloaded a file from the internet.  Well, downloading (yes, it’s called downloading when you are putting something into your computer and uploading when you are taking something out) from a digital camera is basically the same. Windows XP and Vista even have a special folder for your pictures, My Pictures in XP and Pictures in Vista. The first thing to do is to create a new folder within the My Pictures folder.  For example, “Rotary Chili Cookoff-2008″, where you want to put the photos.

The basic steps are outlined in this slide, however, an excellent step by step guide written by Tony Northrup can be found on Microsoft’s website at, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/takeit/transfer.mspx

Transfer Pictures from Camera to Computer

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The other day at lunch I was pontificating on my favorite digital photo theme, “All digital photos need two things-to be cropped and color corrected”, when one of the guys at the table asked, “Does the color of my computer screen (monitor) matter? This is a good question and one that most folks really don’t think about. It is a reasonable assumption that after you spent good money to get a new flat screen monitor or laptop that the screen color would be correct. Unfortunately, that is most likely not the case. There is a good article on Imaging Resource (http://www.imaging-resource.com/ARTS/MONCAL/CALIBRATE.HTM) discussing the issue of monitor color and asks the question, “Who Needs It?” Their answer, and one that I agree with is, “You-If you care about your photos.”  (continue reading…)

In my last post I talked about the basics of taking pictures. This morning I ran across a clipping out of The Rotarian, the Rotary International publication, about taking better photos. The following tips came from Kodak.com and were written by AP photographer J. Walter Green who attributes good instincts to his ability to take great photos.  His tips focus on taking pictures of people and are applicable to all those family photos we take.

• Get down on their level: Hold the camera at eye level to capture the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles.
• Use a plain background: A cluttered background can be distracting, while a plain background will empasize you subject.
• Use flash outdoors: Even outdoors, use a fill flash to improve you pictures. It’s great for lighting dark shadows under the eyes and nose.
• Move in close: To create more impactful pictures, move in close and fill your picture with the object.
• Lock the focus: Lock the focus to ensure a sharp image when the object is off center. (Note: Look in your camera manual to see how to do this)
• Move it from the middle: Imagine a tic-tac-toe in your view finder. Now place the subject at one of the intersections of the lines.
• Know your flash’s range: Pictures taken beyond the maximum range will look too dark.  Read you manual.
• Watch the light: Great light makes great pictures. For people, avoid overhead sun that casts harsh shadows across faces.
• Be the director: Don’t just be a passive picture taker. Add some props, rearrange your subjects (your family might hate this, but do it anyway), or try a different view point.

These tips of course apply to film and digital cameras. With a digital camera you generally have another opportunity to make the picture into a great photo. First, you can take a number of shots (because they are free) and pick the best one. And, you have the opportunity to edit a photo. As you will hear many times from me, every digital picture needs two edits as a minimum: crop and color corrected.  We will cover editing photos in future post.

I have been taking pictures for more years than I care to admit to, with both film and digital cameras, and I found the above tips very helpful. We are never to old to learn from a pro.

Wayne  http://www.correctphoto.com

Minnesota Fall Wonder

Last Friday my wife, Pat, and I took a fall drive to look at the wonderful fall colors, which are spectacular this year. Of course, I took my camera, a relatively old Canon 5G, and took a few shots and couldn’t resist posting this one.  While today’s post is not about editing photos I will say that, like all photos, this one required a little cropping and color correction.  But, more about that another time.

Let’s continue with the presentation on Digital Camera Basics with a discussion about Taking Pictures and What to Do with the Pictures.

Taking Pictures-Basic Stuff

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