When you're snapping photos, sharpness is everything. Whether it's digital or film photography, the absence of focus can ruin a Kodak moment. But, if you follow the easy tips below, you'll be on your way to capturing some great pictures. Let's get started!

Avoid Camera Shake

This is the first thing you need to take care of. Most times, camera shakes lead to blurred images and not the other way around. The best way to avoid camera shaking is to always use a tripod. In cases when you don’t have one, place your camera on any solid surface you can find. You can also use the self-timer function to lessen your chances of shaking.

Check Your Images

You should get in the habit of checking the photos you take with the LCD display and by zooming in a little bit. What you see on your LCD screen might look good, but when you zoom in, that’s how you'll know if the picture is properly focused or blurred. For example, if you're photographing a person, zoom in on their eyes to make sure they’re as sharp as possible. For everything else, try to look at the subject more than the foreground or background. That is, unless you want to keep all three (subject, foreground and background) in focus. Once you zoom in, if you see that the image isn’t properly focused, you have time to shoot again for better results.

Get Your Physics Right

Whether it's film or digital photography, one thing hasn’t changed a bit: the optics of lenses. When it comes to your camera's lens, there's one key component you should be aware of: hyper focal distance. When the lens is focused on the hyper focal distance, the depth of field extends from half the hyper focal distance to infinity. If you're using a shorter focal length lens, you need to focus one-third of the way into your photo with a smaller aperture setting. If you do that, you'll end up achieving maximum depth of field. If you're using a focal length lens (a telephoto lens, for example), you can apply the same rule.

Make a Calculated Move

There are precise ways to calculate hyper focal distance whether you use a point-and-shoot camera or an SLR. The best way to get an idea of what the hyper focal distance is for your camera at different settings is to make use of a depth of field calculator. If you’re interested in researching this, I recommend applying the following mathematical equation to tell exactly how far you need to go for a sharp focus. Hyper focal focusing is valuable in several situations, including photojournalism, street shooting or even when you’re shooting moving objects and you don’t have time to refocus.

The hyper focal distance formula goes like this:

H=F square divided by NC + F where
H is hyper focal distance
F is focal length
N is f-number
C is the circle of confusion limit

If you don’t want to do any calculating, just shoot between f/8 and f/11. Those tend to be the sharpest points for a lot of lenses and they cover a depth of field deep enough to put most of your picture in focus. If you’re shooting in lower light and you open your aperture to decrease the shutter time, you're also decreasing your depth of field and increasing your chances of more blur than you want.

Know Your Sweet Spot

Certain lenses, especially zooms, have "sweet spots" that will give you total sharpness. With most cameras, you can get pin-sharp images at f/8, but much less so at f/4 or f/22.

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Image Stabilization

The secret to razor-sharp images is to turn off any image stabilization. Why? Well, because the tripod will take care of stabilizing the camera. That's all there is to that!

Aperture Settings

Set your aperture further than one or two stops away from the limits. For example, if your lens goes to f/22, don’t go any further than f/16. Similarly, if your lens goes to f/2.8, don’t go any wider than f/4.

Zoom Lens

If you’re using a zoom lens, don’t take it all the way out. If followed throughout, that could make a big difference in the quality of your photographs.

Shutter Speed

Make sure you use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action. As a rule of thumb, standing subjects can stay still for about 1/30 to 1/60sec. On the other hand, walking requires 1/120 and running 1/250 to 1/500. Of course, it all depends on your distance from the subject, so feel free to experiment.

Minimal Focusing Distance

If you're not able to take sharp close up shots, one reason could be that you're using your lens under the minimal focusing distance. The solution is to back away a bit from the subject until the lens is back to focusing at its best.

And Finally…

The more sharpness you demand and the bigger prints you need, the shorter the depth of focus actually becomes. Therefore, be moderate in your calculations and don’t go to extremes. Have fun!

I come from a family where it's very hard to impress them with my artsy pictures. One of the few exceptions happened recently when my sister commented that a series of water shots I had shown her looked like paintings. That was close enough to a compliment for me!

What she was responding to was one of my favorite types of photographs: slow motion water. Those images are created by finding a nice composition with running water and then forcing propecia and generic the camera's shutter to stay open for a second or two, creating a soft, flowing effect of the water, while all of the other elements in the scene stay nice and sharp.

You can create a painting effect with moving water by mounting your camera on a tripod and slowing the shutter speed to an exposure of one second or longer.

You'll need a tripod to steady the camera during the long exposure and you should probably use the self-timer to trip the shutter. If your camera has an aperture priority setting, use it and set it to f-8, f-11 or f-16, if possible. That will give you greater depth of field and cause the shutter to slow down.

Ideally, you'll want an exposure of one second or longer to create a flowing effect of the water. That means you'll probably want to look for streams and waterfalls that are in the shade instead of bright sunlight. Another trick is to use your sunglasses over the lens to darken the scene and create an even longer exposure. Plus, you get the added bonus of eliminating distracting reflections from your composition. Happy shooting!

Candlelight photography has never gone out of fashion, but it can be a little difficult to master. Digitally capturing the warm glow of the flickering flames on your subject's face can be challenging. But don't worry! If you follow the tips below, you will be well on your way to making the most of candlelight photography. Let's go!

Keep It Simple

A good rule to follow with candlelight photography is "keep it simple." By that, I mean shooting with minimal background and foreground distractions and keeping harsh shadows away from your subject. You could also try shooting with a white background. Those are the best ways to capture the natural essence of candlelight.

Go Slow

If you want to capture movement in a candlelight setting, go for a slower shutter speed. The slower you set it, the more movement you will be able to catch. The movement could be your subject, the candle flames or even your camera. However, if you're going with the slowest shutter speed (say, one fifteenth of a second), ensure everything in the frame, animate and inanimate, is still. One little movement by your subject could put the entire picture in disarray.

To Be or Not to Be

It sometimes works better to not include candles in the frame at all, so as not to distract the viewer from the subject. Other times, decorative candles could heighten the drama in a portrait photo. Therefore, I suggest you try shooting with and without candles in the frame. However, just one point to remember: don’t place the candles in such a manner that the viewer is drawn more toward them than the subject. That means, place your subject in a dominant position, with the candles somewhere in the background.

No Flash, Please

Candlelight photography is all about capturing the mood and ambience in a scene. Therefore, it’s best to avoid using flash. Artificial light not only chases away whatever ambient light is available, but it also takes away from the mood. If need be, use a tripod and tell your subject to remain still until your shot is taken. Also, to avoid any camera shaking, use the self-timer option.

The Candle's Role

Since much of candlelight photography is done without flash, one way of getting more light in the frame is to use more candles. That will also help you experiment with different shutter speeds, ISO levels and aperture settings. Another important tip to remember when using several candles is to spread them out evenly so that the light falling on the subject is uniform and not harsh. However, you can place more candles on one side of the subject to create a special effect of side lighting.

Go for White

The best way to illuminate your subject in candlelight is to make the most of white wherever you can find it. Whether it's white walls, white ceilings, a white tablecloth or even your white T-shirt, any small amount of reflection will greatly accentuate the effect of the photo.

Extra Light

If the low light situation still doesn’t improve with the use of candles and reflectors, go for extra lights. That could be a table lamp or even a torch. However, don’t let the light fall directly on your subject. Disperse it by either pointing it to the ceiling or draping some red or orange paper around it.

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Up Your ISO Level

Another way to get over the problem of low light conditions is to increase the ISO settings on your camera. However, keep it under 400 ISO to avoid graininess. Or, if you're not going to be blowing up your photos, you could experiment with much higher ISO levels.

Exposure Compensation

When you have candles in the frame, your camera could underexpose the shot, because it will see the candle as a bright spot. Therefore, try overexposing past what your camera recommends. Just be sure not to over do it, as it might spoil the picture for you.

Shoot in RAW

Candles emit a fine balance of warm light that looks great in photos. However, if you have set the white balance in the Auto mode, the camera takes away the warm effect and renders your photo lifeless. Therefore, try different settings to get the right level of warmth. Some photographers find the Indoor and Tungsten settings work for them. But most importantly, shoot in RAW format (not JPEG or TIFF). That way, you'll have the flexibility to process the picture in Photoshop and properly balance out the white in the image, without losing the original shot.

I hope these suggestions work for your candlelight photos!

Although you may think so, portrait photography isn’t all that easy. There are several factors you need to keep in mind in order to make your images worthwhile. Here are some sure fire ways of jazzing up your portrait photos!

Go propecia 90 tablets for Simplicity

Portrait photography demands you to stick to the subject at hand and not add anything else, either in the foreground or background. It has to be the subject in an environment where he or she feels comfortable. You also need to try to take pictures in natural light. If you're indoors, don’t use too many artificial sources of light. Sometimes one or two sources are good enough for some great portrait photos.

Be Ready Beforehand

It’s important to study the scene before the subject arrives. That could be adjusting the lighting and camera mode or even taking some test shots to see if the output is what you have in mind. Avoid under and over exposure by taking as many shots as you can so that when the subject comes in, you're not fiddling with your controls and wasting time.

Light Up the Background

When shooting outdoors, it’s great to have some backlighting. It could be a natural setting like sun rays streaming through the trees in the background or it could be artificial. Whatever the case may be, great backlighting adds depth and vivid colors to your portrait photos.

Don’t Shoot at Eye Level

Though it’s a common practice to shoot people at eye level, experts have another secret tucked away. It’s even better if you shoot portraits slightly below eye level. Not only will your subject look more real, but the picture will also seem much more flattering. That's particularly true when you're taking pictures up close. Whether the subject is standing or sitting, you can use this technique for maximum effect.

Follow the Eye

If your subject is looking in one direction, it’s best to take their side profile in such a manner where you leave empty space in the direction they're facing. As a rule, if the person you're photographing is looking in one direction, it's best to place them on the opposite side of the frame. If the subject is looking in one direction and you photograph them without leaving any space on either side, the picture will look somewhat incomplete. But when you leave space where the subject is looking, it seems more natural.

Unusual Angles

Nothing beats experimentation! Some people look particularly good in some angles and not so good in others. So, it’s best to shoot at different angles to see which angle suits your subject the best. That means, you could try shooting low, very low or you could take the picture from high above the ground. Just know that you have options!

Face the Camera

Portrait photos fall into two categories: formal and informal. When taking formal portraits, it’s important to make the subject lean into the camera for a greater effect. Not only will that make it a more personal shot, but the subject will appear more friendly and interactive. You could also get your subject to lean back, but that has to be handled with care. Your picture should make it look like the subject is leaning back to laugh or that they're feeling very self-satisfied. In no way should they look aloof, unattached or disinterested.

That’s all, folks! Now, go out and take some fantastic portrait photos. Have fun!

I know today isn't our normal Digital Photography day, but with today being the Fourth of July, I figured this tip would come in handy for a lot of you. So, if you're heading out to see fireworks tonight, be sure to take your camera along and follow these suggestions. If you do, you'll have fireworks photos like never before. Let's go!

First off, I want to stress that fireworks are tricky. There's no getting around it. There's no digital silver bullet to make this one any easier. Even people who have shot fireworks for years sometimes find it challenging. In order to shoot really good fireworks, you'll more than likely have to get into the manual mode on your camera, adjust the shutter speeds, ISOs and apertures. Since any one of the above would constitute a multi-week series, we'll have to do our best in the space we have!

Let's start with the easy stuff. Before the camera ever gets set up, you'll need to arrive early and scout out a good location. Find a place that gives you a good view, with no large light sources nearby (for instance, street or parking lot lights, headlights, etc). Big lights tend to "muddy" the scene and bleed into the photo.

Also, consider an alternate area you can move to quickly to get a better angle, should your first location turn out to be less than desirable. You know, overrun with flashlight carrying kids or something like that! Oh, and make sure your equipment isn't going to be in the way of other spectators.

Next, take extra supplies. Grab extra batteries, a small flashlight, all the memory cards you have and my personal favorite, bug spray (there's nothing like trying to shoot fireworks with a mosquito buzzing in your ear!)

The best fireworks photos are long exposures, usually two to 15 seconds. As such, you'll need a tripod of some sort. It doesn't have to be real fancy, just something to keep the camera still while you shoot. Sorry, no matter how steady you think you are, those types of exposures are not hand holdable. Also, if your camera has a cable release, bring that along too.

Okay, so far, this hasn't been too bad, but now we're getting into the shark infested waters of camera settings!

Lens – You'll probably want to shoot at a medium to wide angle focal length. That really depends on how far away you are from the fireworks and how big they get. The idea is to point your camera where you think they're going to be and shoot. If you have way too much sky once you start shooting, zoom in a little. If you're only getting pieces of the display, zoom out.

Quality – Set your camera to its highest quality setting. JPEGs produce "artifacts," which are much more evident when shooting between areas of light and dark. Also, the higher quality may give you less "noise" and possibly better looking colors.

Flash – Shut it off. Even if it could reach, it wouldn't help. All it's going to do is irritate the people around you and give snapshots of the backs of their heads.

ISO – This is your digital "film speed." Although it seems like you would want the fastest you can get, the reverse is true. You'll want to set this to the lowest setting you have, probably around 100 or 200.

Why? Because I said so, that's why! Actually, the higher your ISO, the more "noise" the camera picks up during long exposures. ("Noise" refers to the little random, off colored pixels you see in photos). And since noise is the most noticeable in dark areas, you want to keep it to a minimum.

Focus – This is a big issue for any camera while shooting fireworks. If you try to rely on auto focus, you'll be lucky to get the shot before the explosion fades away. You need to manually set your focus at infinity (all the way out).

I know, I know, you have an auto focus camera, so how do you manually focus it? Three exciting possibilities exist for you:

First, you probably have a setting called "Landscape" mode. It's usually depicted by a mini mountain range. It focuses the camera at infinity. As long as it can be used in conjunction with a manual exposure, you're all set.

The second option is that you actually do have a primitive manual focus mode. Not all cameras will include this feature and the ones that do, kind of toss it in as an afterthought. However, it might be worth checking your instruction manual just to see if your camera can do it and what types of digital gymnastics you'll need to perform in order to use it.

The last possibility is that your camera actually has a "fireworks" mode. If it does, it may not only help you with the focusing problem, but also with the next issue.

Aperture and Shutter Speed – This is the hardest part, but I can give you some recommended settings.

If your camera has a manual mode (usually depicted with an "M" on the setting dial), choose that. Then set the aperture (lens opening) between eight and 16. The aperture controls how much light comes through the lens. The higher the number, the less light there will be.

The next manual setting is the shutter speed. That controls how long the shutter is open. Start with two seconds and then increase the time if you don't like the results (for example, if the fireworks look too dark). Be careful not to "burn out" the fireworks though. You still want to see color, but don't let them get too dark either.

Note that the longer the exposure gets, the more "noise" you'll pick up. Experimentation is the name of the game here. One day, when I have an extra eight hours or so, I'll do a write up about how to use aperture and shutter speed!

If you've never shot in manual mode before, dig out your instruction manual and start reading. The settings I've given you here should work well, so understanding the "how" of getting it set right is probably more important than the "why."

Okay, that's it for the camera settings. As for actually shooting, just aim for the area where the fireworks are going off and take a lot of photos. It's almost a numbers game. The more you shoot, the better your chances of getting good results.

As for when to shoot, I usually try to click the shutter just as the explosion starts. Since you don't want the camera bouncing around on the tripod, squeeze the shot off slowly.

Also, remember that you're shooting with a digital camera here. Check your images as you go and adjust camera angles, exposure time, etc. along the prices for propecia way.

Hopefully, some or all of the guidelines above will help you. It's a crash course, that's for sure. Use as much as you can and keep in mind that all night time photography falls into the "experimental" category. It takes most photographers a long time to get really good at it, but the important thing is that you give it a try!