Photo Shoot Idea & Free Stock Photos

So yesterday I decided to experiment with my new digital camera. I visited our local Home Depot's Garden Center. This is just one of many ideas you can find. There are also performing arts, museums, amusement parks, carnivals, weddings and more. Check your local city guide to discover events going on in your local area. The trick to great photography is thinking outside the box. Trying to capture something that is not common and stands out from the rest. Below you will find some photos of flowers. These pictures were taken with the Panasonic DMC-TZ3 camera equipped with a Leica OC Lens, with 10x Mega Optical Zoom, 7.2 Megapixels, and an Optical Image Stabilizer setting which reduces the effects of camera shaking and produces sharper photos. Please feel free to use the photos for anything you wish. All images on this site are taken by me and as the author I give permission to use them. However, I would just ask out of good faith that you provide a link with the photos to this site or my new site, soon to be published, www.learning-digital-photography.com
This site however, is currently under construction.

Thanks and Happy Shooting!
Misty Reid

The Digital Photography Era

There is a buzz in the air and it revolves around photography, Digital Photography to be exact. Digital Photography has opened up great opportunities for photographers from beginner to professional. More pictures are being taken with both digital and film cameras than ever before in our history. Its immediacy provides amateru photographers the instant result that can add so much to the experience and to professionals, the tools to meet the fastest worldwide deadlines at the quality levels they've enjoyed with film. It allows us to extend the creative and practical applications for pictures to levels that have, so far, only been limited by our imagination.

The digital photography experience can be broken down into three main sections; Capture, Process, and Output. The Capture section includes the taking of the picture and the tools and techniques available to do so. The Process section includes the options available to share the photographs through printing, multimedia, and the Internet. Learning the options available within these three tasks will allow you to optimize your digital photography experience to its fullest.

Olympus America Inc. - "The Olympus Guide to Basic Digital Photography"

Know your Camera - Inside and Out!

How many people actually read the owner's manual when purchasing a digital camera? Most don't. They open the package, put in a battery and memory card and just take pictures. Digital cameras have really come along way. There are so many features in these small devices that most owners aren't familiar with. Before you can start marketing your photos, you need to learn your camera's functions and what it's capable of. Read the manual. Sit down with the your camera and use the manual as a "hands-on" tutorial. Practice the different settings until your comfortable with them.

In addition to the owner's manual, most manufactures also offer online courses and tutorials specific to your camera. They also have many optional accessories to enhance your learning. Invest your time in learning your cameras settings and features and your photos will drastically improve. Once your comfortable, start practicing. Take hundreds of pictures in different settings. Memory cards now can hold over 1000 high quality pictures. SDHC cameras have the highest composition and memory cards are available in 8GB. That's over 2000 pictures high quality pictures!

Most importantly, have fun! Take pictures of a close friend. Let them model for you as the subject! Kids love to play dress up and act out in many ways for a camera! Halloween is almost here and a great photo opportunity. Our local pet store is having a Halloween party for dogs. Unique photos can stand out in a crowd. The possibilities are endless! Pictures can capture so much more than words can say. So get out there and start snapping!

Choosing a Subject for your Photos?

How do you know what photos you will take? Are you going to a family reunion? Are you going out for a hike and hope to see some wildlife? There are many questions when it comes to photography. You will want to have a basis of photography techniques to provide the best photograph and once you learn those techniques the subject will be up to you. Most photographers whether they are professional or amateurs like you will have a medium they work with. It is the same with other artists; you have painters, sculptors, sketch artists, and much more. Photography is art and therefore requires an eye for the right photograph.

How do you know what subject you will shoot? This is where your interests lie. If you wish only to take pictures of wildlife then you will have to wait for the subject to come into view. Obviously you can go to a wildlife park such as the Rocky Mountain National Park and hope to find subjects. Most often it will depend on the time of year. Elk and Deer are more prominent when they come down the mountains to mate and eat. Birds will always be available, but the type of birds will vary. If you are in Alaska chances are you will have several chances of shooting a Bald Eagle, while in Florida you may find heron or cranes.

When you are practicing techniques you will have to choose your subject accordingly. A lot of us are regulated to the area around us. Landscape photography requires the use of the land you have around you, unless you are going on vacation to some place new. This is another important fact to choosing a subject. You are either limited or you have the whole world at your feet. It will depend on your traveling abilities. For now we will stick close to home.

Once you choose your medium you will then go in search of subjects. The subject that speaks to you is what you should choose to shoot. If a tree and the knots it’s formed interest you, you will want to check the lighting of the area. Deciding which angle to shoot from will also make the decision on the subject. The lighting may not be right for the subject you have chosen and the other side of the subject may not yield the best picture.

To choose a subject you will need a good eye for detail and observation. Often the best subject is not the one you can see with a plain eye. Have you ever looked at a tree and found a spider web hiding in the leaves? If you look closer you might even find a spider. A spider web can make a great picture not only because of the technique required to have the web show up in your photo with the silky threads, but also the pattern of a spider web. We are fascinated with an organism that can create a symmetrical pattern.

Again your eye is the best tool for finding a subject. How you choose the subject will depend on what is available, the angle and the light. Moving slowly through an area such as landscape will help you determine the subject. Looking under leaves or rocks is often beneficial to finding something new and different. You never know where you will find a picture just waiting for you to click a picture. Some people and animals do things that will never again happen and this is when you want to have camera available. Most people interested in photography carry a camera with them everywhere they go. If this sounds like a habit, a real habit turns into a hobby and a possible income if you become good at taking the right pictures. As you get better at taking the pictures, you can then start displaying your pictures for others to see and possibly buy.

Soft Lighting is your Friend & How to Get It

Hard light comes directly from one source, such as the sun, a flash light or a light bulb. Soft light is obtained when the light is scattered or diffused such as on a cloudy day or by using a diffusing object such as a white umbrella or curtain. Most photos look best with softer light because they are more flattering, detail-oriented and richer in color. To shoot in such conditions, a good rule of thumb is to keep your back to the light. Let the light shine on your subject (not on you) and you'll get crisp, clear photos. Shoot early or late in the day, when the light is softer. Cloudy days are your friend - the light actually intensifies the colors of flowers, trees, and the whole outdoors. Watch Leann Bello with About.com Gadgets explain the importance of Soft Lighting and how to obtain it in the following Video, "Videography and Photography Lighting - Hard and Soft Light".

The picture of the clown below is an example of Soft Lighting on an Overcast Day. Notice how the shadows in this picture are minimal as the light seems to wrap around the subject.

Take more than one picture of your subject

The advantages with Digital Cameras is that it quickly allows you to preview your pictures. Take more than one picture of your subject. Try using different settings and make adjustments. You can take as many as you like. You may want to try taking them at different times throughout the day as the sunlight plays an adamant role in how your picture will turn out. Use different angles like horizontal and vertical shots and walk around your subject. Try kneeling on one knee or placing the camera at a higher angle. Compare the pictures at the end of the day. Download them on your computer and delete the ones you don't like and keep the goods ones!

Shooting Better Portraits - Inside and Out

There are many things you can do to take a good portrait, and all are fairly simple. If your camera has a 3x-5x optical zoom, zoom all the way to telephoto (or mid-way on an 8x-10x zoom) and hold the camera vertically. Move in so your subject fills the viewfinder or LCD in a way that pleases you. If you're snapping shots of children, kneel down to their level as you'll be able to frame them and capture their expressions much more successfully. Regardless of their age, try to have your subject look just slightly away from the camera's lens.

If you are outdoors, set your camera's flash to "Flash On" mode (via the button on the back of the camera represented by the lightning bolt). The camera will automatically balance the daylight with the light given off by the flash and provide correct exposure (also known as Fill-in flash). Light from the flash will simply fill-in the harsh shadows that might have been present on your subject's face. Take an image with the flash on and one without it and you'll be surprised how much of a difference it makes!