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Taking Pictures of Animals

When it comes to taking pictures of animals, you are really going to want to get the best possible pictures you can get. This article will try and give you simple tips for taking great photos of animals.

There are two different types of animals you can photograph: your pets and the captive, and the wild animals.

When taking photos of pets or animals in cages you really don’t have as much to worry about except compositional techniques. The animals won’t be moving like crazy and should be easier to handle. If its your own pet you could feed them some food and they’ll stay still for sure.

Photographing wild animals is a bit trickier. These animals are in the wild and run from people. You’re going to have to sneak towards them and capture a shot of them quick. If you’re photographing fast animals like birds you have to be extra quick as they could fly off in seconds.

When taking animal shots you should try to keep the background simple. Try to avoid overly complex backgrounds that distract the viewer. Also, be sure that you get as close as you can. Far away shots of animals can work, but they are harder to pull off than close up shots.

To get great close up shots you should really think of getting a telephoto lens. There are some telephoto lenses built so you do not need a tripod. This is great as hauling a tripod around when taking shots of wild animals can be difficult.

Al Sanchez has a Free Photo 101 E-course that teaches digital photography at http://www.phototechniques.info in addition to another free program on how to Sell Your Pictures Online at http://www.photoprofitz.com/course.html

5 Simple Steps to Shooting Photos Like a Pro

When my daughter was born four years ago, our new digital camera and I had to become friends. Fast. I didn’t have any experience as a photographer, or any time to learn the craft, yet I still had to find ways to get those perfect once in a lifetime shots. Through trial and error I found a system that works for me. While I’m sure I’m not blazing any new trails here, these are the guidelines I’ve used to get shots my family and friends enjoy: 1. Say No to Shutter Lag: Get a fast camera. Shutter Lag is the enemy when your subject matter won’t sit still. I started with a Panasonic DMC LC20. After my daughter started getting a bit more mobile I graduated to a Canon EOS Digital Rebel. It’s hard to find shutter lag stats published even in independent reviews. Try out the camera in the store if possible, and pick a moving target. I had a friend rotate slowly. I snapped a shot when he was facing the camera. If the picture was of his profile or the back of his head, I know I had to keep looking. 2. Say Yes to Storage: Get a memory card for your camera with as much storage capacity as possible. I use 1GB and that allows me to take about 160 shots before I have to transfer photos from my camera to my computer. Be sure you have a fresh memory card for each new outing. Pick up a memory card reader to speed up the process. You need to clear your card frequently so you don’t want comparitively slow USB cable transfer speeds getting in the way. And don’t cheat by using a low resolution or low quality image setting. Use the highest quality and resolution you can. 3. No Film, No Fear. Take a Lot of Shots: Those precious moments come and go quickly. Get them even if the framing and zoom are not perfect. That can be fixed later. However, be sure to learn how to properly use your auto focus. Very out of focus images are something you can’t fix after the fact. 4. Go Deeper. Find the Hidden Gems: Once you’ve transferred your images to your computer, review them carefully to find the shot within the shot. If you’ve taken enough shots, the gems will be there. You’ll need a decent digital image editing software package with and easy to use cropping tool. ACDSee 9 Photo Manager is a good tool at a good price. 5. Shed Unwanted Pixels. Crop Crop Crop: Cropping your photos creatively allows you to get a fantastic shot out of some not so fantastic raw material. Once you’ve found a part of a photo you like, crop away the extra stuff. Highlight the subject matter and reveal shots that would have been missed if you took too much time setting up before hitting the shutter release. Now that you’ve spent so much time and energy getting your shots just right, you want to have a special way to show them off. Give Touchpoint Gallery a spin and let us know what you think. Download here for free. Images courtesy of Flickr Share This 3 Responses to “5 Simple Steps to Shooting Photos Like a Pro” 5 Simple Steps to Shooting Photos Like a Pro August 2nd, 2007 at 12:02 am […] created a crash course for new parents who want to take awesome pictures of their […]

Touchpoint Studios redefines the relationship between people and their <a href="http://www.touchpointstudios.com"> digital photos </a> with <a href="http://www.touchpointstudios.com"> Photo gallery software </a> solutions designed to take full advantage of the graphic processing capabilities available in today's computers. Incorporated in 2006, Touchpoint Studios Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Using Flash on Your Digital Camera

Have you ever wondered why your pictures turn out dark or cast deep dark shadows when taking pictures? I am not a professional photographer but I have learned a thing or two in taking pictures. Most people who are not photographers, but like to take lots of pictures of family members and pets don’t understand what they are doing wrong when their pictures turn out poorly. The answer to the question is that they are using flash when it is not needed. By knowing when to use the flash as a fill-in will give you better results. So, I am going to explain what I have learned about using flash as fill-ins when taking pictures. By trying these few techniques you will get better results with your own pictures. You may think flash is used only when it is too dark in room, right? Well, you’re right to an extent. Flash is really meant to be used as a fill-in light not as a light source and the distance to your subject may also play a big part in the image too. Let’s say you’re at your child’s basketball game high up in the bleachers and you want some pictures to put in his/her photo album. You may think flash is needed but if there’s a lot of light and your subject is at a distance you can turn off the flash to get better results. You may also find that by using the flash at a distance had no effect on your subject. Another example, let’s say you’re at a football game and you want a picture of a football player coming out of the locker rooms and your only light source is the sun. You’re down on the field and you have only one chance to capture the moment. At this point you have to decide whether or not to use the flash. If you take the shot without the flash the players face will be too dark with no detail. This is caused by the sun casting a shadow over the players face from his helmet. But this can be avoided by using the flash to fill in the shadows the sun is casting on the subjects face evenly to have a more dramatic appearance. I am always taking test shots to find the best picture so, take some test shots first with and without the flash to determine if fill-in is needed. Also, you may notice nasty dark shadows behind subjects in your photos. This is caused either because of poor lighting conditions or because the flash was used when it was not needed in good lighting conditions. It could also be that subjects are too close to each other. For example, taking a picture in your living room during early morning, late afternoon or on an over cast day would not be a good idea because your light source is very poor. This can be avoided by taking the picture during mid-day on a bright sun shiny day with all the curtains open and with no flash you won’t get those harsh, nasty looking shadows. Also, separate your background and your subject to avoid background shadows. But don’t be afraid to use flash fill-in on an over cast day because you can have your subject stand out amongst a crowd. These are some techniques I have learned when taking pictures. Use them wisely and you will be taking pictures like the pros. But remember there is much more to taking pictures than just learning how to use the flash but that will be another article in the making. Click Here for more Tutorials

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<P>I am 37 years old and been married to a fine looking woman for over 14 years. We have 3 smart boys who are going to make a difference in this world we live in. I enjoy being a graphic/web designer and hanging out with my boys. I like Soccer, Football and NASCAR. My hobbies are drawing,woodburning and surfing the internet. I am graduating from U of M with honors and I have been a graphic designer for over 7 Years. <P> My 1st memorable quote was created by me because I believe we all have freewill and we decide which path to walk. The second quote is from the Movie "A Knight's Tale" where a young squire takes his lords place as a knight and fights in tournaments fit only for a knight. He is later caught but because of passion and desire to be a knight and the loyalty of his men he is dubbed into knighthood. <P> This movie has given me the strength to beleive in myself so that I may also change my stars. <P> I wish for a better life, a better world, and love and peace to all. <P> <P>"><P> This movie has given me the strength to beleive in myself so that I may also change my stars. <P> I wish for a better life, a better world, and love and peace to all. <P>"> <P>I am 37 years old and been married to a fine looking woman for over 14 years. We have 3 smart boys who are going to make a difference in this world we live in. I enjoy being a graphic/web designer and hanging out with my boys. I like Soccer, Football and NASCAR. My hobbies are drawing,woodburning and surfing the internet. I am graduating from U of M with honors and I have been a graphic designer for over 7 Years. <P> My 1st memorable quote was created by me because I believe we all have freewill and we decide which path to walk. The second quote is from the Movie "A Knight's Tale" where a young squire takes his lords place as a knight and fights in tournaments fit only for a knight. He is later caught but because of passion and desire to be a knight and the loyalty of his men he is dubbed into knighthood. <P> This movie has given me the strength to beleive in myself so that I may also change my stars. <P> I wish for a better life, a better world, and love and peace to all. <P> <P>

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