A Great Website

Hey everyone,
Just going through some websites looking for some great photos and information out there to get some great tips and examples of digital photography.

There is absolutely thousands of sites out there and trying to find a decent one is tough work.

After a little searching I managed to come across this great site. Its the National Geographic Site and it not only has some great photo examples in it but also some great expert tips as well.

Take a look and tell me what you think of it.

National Geographic

Some Great Photography Tips

Sunlight
Natural Sunlight provides some of the best lighting for great shots with more detail and vivid colours.
Be Careful of the following:

• Really bright sunlight casts harsh shadows
• Overhead sunlight can wash out detail in focus

Night-time Photos
The key to great night photos is turning off your flash.
Just follow these guidelines:

• Set shutter speed slower to let in enough light
• Stay steady, slow shutter speeds blur photos
• Use a tripod or place camera on stationary surface

Golden Hour
Sunrise and sunset are what photographers call the "golden hour" or "magic hour".
Photos taken at these times are rich and dramatic:

• Get "golden" light instead of blinding midday sun
• Your photos will have warm and inviting colors

Camera Positioning
The difference between a good photo and a great photo is sometimes just a matter of how you approch it.

• Change the camera angle for creative shots
• Move your camera in relation to the subject
• Zoom in or out to change the composition

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS HERE

Frame the Shot
Sometimes the best way to draw attention to your center of interest is to create a frame around it.

• A "frame" helps the subject stand out
• Add drama, depth and interest
• Use scenic elements like trees or other objects

Using Lines
Create interesting perspective and enhance ordinary shots by using straight or curved lines within the frame.

• Lines lead the eye to the center of interest
• Look for brickwalls, sidewalks, fences, and edges
• Shoot lines at an angle for unique shots

Cloudy/Overcast
Less-than-ideal weather conditions won't keep you from getting that perfect shot.
Cloudy skies produce unique photos:

• Get interesting highlights with enhanced mood
• Make colors pop in contrast to the gray sky

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY SUCCESS HERE

Background
Backgrounds can play a huge role in how interesting your photo is. Consider these points when choosing a background:

• Watch for clutter and other distracting elements
• Don't use a busy or competing background
• Remove objects that connect to the subject

Flash
The flash is a great tool if you know how to get the most of it.
The key is keeping your distance:

• Your camera's flash has a range of about 10 feet
• Too far - Your photo will be to dark
• To close - Bright light blows out detail

Red-Eye
The flash reflecting off the retina of your subject's eyes is what causes the commen problem of red-eye.
Reduce red-eye by following these guidelines:

• Move outdoors or into brighter light
• Have your subject avoid looking directly into the lens

Rule of Thirds
You don't have to center your subject in every photo you shoot.
Create more visual interest by using the Rule of Thirds:

• Divide your photo into a tic-tac-toe grid
• Place the main "interest" at grid intersections
• Use photo software to crop later if necessary

ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE HERE

Buying a Digital Camera

Almost everyone agrees that digital cameras offer plenty of advantages over film cameras, and consumers are voting with their wallets as they continue to buy digital cameras in record numbers. Some of the advantages of digital cameras over their film counterparts is the ability to immediately see the images you have taken instead of waiting to have film developed first, and also being able to transfer your image files to your computer where you can edit, print and store them as you see fit.

You basically need to determine what you intend to do with the photos that you take. Will you take them and store them on your PC or will you take them and get them printed off. If you want to print them then how big do you wish to print. The bigger the prints you want the more megapixels you want for clarity.

If having the best image quality is important to you then you want to look for digital cameras that save their files in TIFF, GIF and RAW formats as these do not sacrifice any image quality when compressing the image file for storage.

Most fixed lens digital cameras come with a zoom feature, but you should know that there are two different types of zooms that are used. One is an optical zoom that relies on the lens for it's magnification, and the other is the digital zoom that enlarges the image already captured by digital means instead. The optical zoom is far more preferable than the digital zoom as it will produce sharp and clear zoom shots throughout its entire focal range. The digital zoom is only magnifying the resulting image and so it can produce less sharp, grainy pictures instead when used at the higher end of the focal range. So for a camera that has as much of the zoom range that you want being handled by the optical rather than digital zoom.

If you want more information on choosing a Digital Camera then I recommend that you VISIT THIS SITE. It has tons of information and links for choosing the right camera.

If you are just learning Digital Photography then I recommend this e-book. It is cheap and has a ton of awesome tips and information for beginners.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS