Art of Photography

A question I am often asked by beginners in photography is how much memory do I need? The answer to this question will depend on a lot of factors. Let us consider all of the one by one.

1. The resolution of the camera: This is probably the most important factor that will determine the size of memory required. If you have a 2-3 MP camera (which is very unlikely unless you are using a phone camera as almost all digital cameras today are more than 5 MP resolution). If you are using a basic 5 MP camera I will advise you to use a 1 GB card. You can also use a 500MB card but the difference in cost between a 500 MB and 1 GB card is negligible and what’s the harm in using a higher memory, you will be able to store more photos. If however you are using a pro or semi pro DSLR, then you should consider a 4GB card as a standard.

2. The quality of the picture you intend to take: All cameras allow you to set the resolution of the picture it takes. Lower the resolution the higher the number of photos that you can store in your card but remember that lower resolution means poorer quality of photos.

3. How many photos do you want to take? Are you going for a long vacation with lot of photo ops? Then choose a card with higher memory. A 4 GB card is ideal for long vacations. Apart from this the size of the memory card you choose will also be guided by your proximity to a computer. Can to download your photos to a computer regularly. If yes, then you can manage with a card of smaller size, but if you do not have access to a computer then it is better to have a card with higher memory.

4. If you’re serious about photography always carry an extra card with you (I carry three cards each of 4 GB). Of course you will not need this kind of memory unless you are a serious photographer, but at least carry one extra card with you.

5. Today memory cards are very cheap and you will find cards with 16 GB of memory for as less as $100, so if you think that it will be good investment then you should consider buying a higher memory card, it will be very useful to you.

And finally a tip on storage of your cards: Keep your cards away from direct sunlight and dust. Also keep them away from moisture and strong magnetic fields. It is best to store your cards in the pouch given along with it.

Product Photography Tips #1 – Create An Inexpensive Lighting Set-up

Here is how you can do it. You will be making use of hardware appliances. The following is the list of items you will need to prepare:

• Light bulbs
• 2 Extension cords
• Domed photo reflectors
• Clamps

As for the light bulbs, you can get either the tungsten or daylight bulb. Whichever type of bulb you use does not matter. Just make sure that you set the white balance in your camera correctly.

Have both the extension cords and domed photo reflectors attached to a still object using clamps. In this case, you can use a chair as the still object. Adjust and angle the units well to prevent shadows.

Product Photography Tips #2 – Light Tent

A light tent is something you can use in conjunction with studio lights. Light tents will give you a softer and even light. Light will be projected through the translucent material before it falls onto the object you are photographing. Hence, the light is diffused. There will not be hot spots and reflections.

Product Photography Tips #3 – Photographing Outdoors

If you happen to conduct outdoor photography sessions to photograph objects, try to get a soft sunlight. Soft sunlight is available during the morning and evenings. Otherwise, get yourself to a shady area to conduct your photo shoot.

It will be good if the sunlight is indirect so that the chances of casting shadows onto the object you are photographing are slimmer. You can also use the light tent outdoors. The material will disperse the direct sunlight.

Product Photography Tips #4 – Photographing Indoors

If you are going to photograph your object indoors, you can conduct the shooting next to a window. Keep in mind that the window must be able to provide sufficient amount of sunlight for your photo shoot.

Also, make sure that you check for unwanted shadows. If there is a part of the surface of your object that requires more light, you can use a white poster board to reflect the light towards it. Doing this will also benefit you as it can bring out the shape of the object.

Many good photos have been ruined by the dreaded red eye. Red eye is the reddish tinge which is seen in your subjects. This is caused because the light from the camera’s flash bounces off the retina of the subject and causes the reddish tinge. If you were photographing your pet then it will lead to the green glow from the retina of your pet. Although many photo editing software allow you to correct this problem it is better to avoid it all together. By following the following methods you should be able to prevent the dreaded red eye effect.

1. All cameras come with a inbuilt red eye reduction. This tool is nothing but a light source which is present near the lens. What this tool does is before the shutter is released it fires a series of light flashes which constrict the pupil thus preventing the red eye effect. In most cameras this  tool is turned on by default, and it is best to keep it turned on at all times except in the bright sunlight. However it is also possible to turn it off, but I will advice it to keep it on all the time.

2. By using flash intelligently you should be able be to avoid red eye altogether. Do not direct the flash directly at your subject. It will be better to bounce it off a white wall or any white surface. By bouncing the light of a white surface the light does not directly fall on the subjects eye and this prevents this problem.

Apart from the above mentioned techniques many editing software like Photoshop and the proprietary software which come with the camera can remove this problem completely. The red eye removal tool is automatic in most of these software, but the automatic mode is not very effective and it is better to do it manually. However doing it manually has it pitfalls. What happens when you have to manually correct it? The eye of the subject can have a glazed look by manually correcting it. However this is the best that you can do to correct the red eye.

Hopefully by using the above mentioned techniques you should be able to prevent or correct the dreaded demon, but I once again repeat that it is best to prevent the red eye altogether in the first place. So good luck to all of you and hopefully you will find this post useful.