Protecting Your Camera While on Vacation

Spring break is in full swing here. Some of our friends flew to Colorado to get in some late season skiing (that was before we got 15 inches of fresh snow on Good Friday) while others headed to Florida to escape the winter blues. We just returned from Hawaii where my camera got a serious workout at the beach. Regardless of where you vacation this year it is important to remember some basic tips to ensure your camera doesn’t become a causality while you’re away from home. COLD CLIMATES If your family enjoys tearing though fresh powder in cold weather … Continue reading →

Alternatives to Tripods— Image-Stabilizing Equipment

I just got off my tripod soapbox and now here I am discussing image-stabilizing equipment again. I promise not to mention the word tripod in this blog. Rather, I’m here to focus on alternatives to the traditional three-legged device. They’re designed to eliminate the dreaded shaky shot minus the inconvenience of toting around a bulky accessory. The first device is a zoom lens. Yes, I know, you’re wondering how a lens is going to help stabilize your shots. This particular lens features technology that does the work of a tripo… (You get the idea). It’s called the Nikon AF-S VR … Continue reading →

Camera Care Tips

My 3-year-old daughter is a self-described “big girl” now and consequently she doesn’t like me to push her on the swings at the park. Instead, she feels it is her job to push me. Frankly, I enjoy the ride, and the other day it gave me the opportunity to witness an unfortunate scene. To placate her screaming toddler one of the moms at the park handed her son what looked to be a very expensive camera. Within seconds of getting his hands on the device he tossed it into a nearby sandbox. (Surprise, surprise.) I winced and wondered what might … Continue reading →

Are You Using All Of Your Camera’s Features?

Perhaps a better question might be: “Are you familiar with all of your camera’s options?” My inspiration for this blog comes from a playgroup date my daughter and I had earlier this week. The mom who was hosting our playgroup had family visiting from another state-—her brother and his wife. While her brother was waiting for his wife to get ready for a day of sightseeing he grabbed our hostess’ camera and started taking of shots of the kids playing. He got a great shot of one of his nieces jumping rope. When he showed his prize shot to his … Continue reading →

Digital Camera Basics

Digital photography is really not that different than old fashioned film photography (still my favorite). It does however, stand to reason, that there are new terms, techniques and types of equipment to learn. The digital camera comes in two different form, a point and shoot style and a single lens reflex (which is usually referred to as SLR). If you are looking for a simple, easy to use, basic digital camera – the point and shoot is definitely the style to go with. These usually range in price quite a bit, and are available by most manufacturers. They are the … Continue reading →

Help Your Camera Battery Last Longer

As I was running outside to take a few pictures in the snow this morning I realized that my camera battery was low. With the sun shinning brightly I knew for sure my time was limited and didn’t have time to charge my battery. Typical Tennessee snow won’t last much past noon. Fortunately I was able to take a few photos before my battery was dead. Most digital cameras come with a rechargeable battery. Read the manual. It may have very specific instructions or very vague instructions. My Casio Exilim has basically no instructions except it could take up to … Continue reading →

The Take On Tripods

Tripods certainly can be a hassle, but they can be a great help for a good, steady shot. Tripods are most handy when sharpness is a must, long exposures, or conveying motion in a scene. Tripods are especially great for low-light situations because the shutter speed is slower. Let’s face it, our hands shake. One little shake will make a magnificent shot turn into a blur. No money for a tripod? Time to get creative. A solid rock or wall can provide a steady base for shooting. Just be extremely cautious. You don’t want your nice camera falling and busting … Continue reading →

Photography Glossary- F

This section is so large, it gets a couple of entries. There are lots of “F” terms in Photography. F Fill Flash- This flash mode combines flash and ambient lighting, but it doesn’t try to balance the two types. Filter- This is a colored piece of glass, or some other see through material that is placed over the lens in order to emphasize certain parts (like specific colors), eliminate or reduce certain elements, or to change the color or density of a scene, or in some cases certain parts of a scene. I discussed a couple of filter types in … Continue reading →

Photography Glossary: D & E

Today I will continue with the Photography Glossary, with terms beginning with D and E. D Depth of Field- the depth of field is an area of sharpness in front of and behind the subject of the photo. This area depends on three factors; aperture, focal length, and focused distance. The wider the aperture, the longer the focal length is, and the closer the focus distance is, the less the depth of field will be. This is a very important element in taking great pictures. The simple way to explain it, is that the amount of distance between the nearest … Continue reading →

Photography Glossary: B & C

B Setting- Many cameras have this “B” setting. This originally stood for “bulb.” In the early days of flash photography, before cameras were synchronized with the flash, and flash bulbs were used, this “bulb exposure” would hold the shutter open until the flash was fired. In modern cameras, the bulb setting tells the camera to open the shutter when you press the shutter release, and close it when the shutter release is pressed again, or to hold the shutter open until you release the button. You can use this setting to get interesting movement effects, such as cars driving down … Continue reading →