Red Eye and Your Digital Camera

Red Eye and Your Digital Camera. You’ve seen the dreaded demon-eye effect that occurs when the camera flash bounces off the eye of a person or pet.  An otherwise wonderful picture can be ruined by this.  Technically, this is called red-eye and is caused when the pupil of your subject’s eye is wide open and the light from the camera’s flash reflects off the subjects retina.  In people, the color ends up red; in pets, the color is often green. 

Many photo editing programs include a red-eye correction filter, but this may not allow your photograph subject to appear “normal.  These filters also do not work on the green effect produced in a pet’s eyes.  Photo stores sell pens that are used to clear up red-eye, but again they are not always natural-looking and do not work on the green.  The best thing is to prevent the demon-eye effect from the start.

It is rare to find a digital camera that does not come with a red-eye reduction feature.  This feature can be turned off or on.  It is best left on in all circumstances other than direct sunlight.  The red-eye reduction feature works by flashing a short burst of light at your subject before you snap the picture.  This burst of light causes the subject’s pupil to close and makes it less likely for the camera’s flash to reflect off the retina. This in turn reduces the chance of red-eye.

It also helps to direct the flash of your camera so it does not directly hit your subject’s eyes.  Bouncing the flash off a nearby wall or other object will soften its effect and reduce the chances of this unwanted malady.  Between bouncing the flash and using your digital camera’s red-eye reduction feature, your little angel, whether human or animal, will have eyes that don’t glow.

Making Your Digital Camera Battery Last Longer

Making Your Digital Camera Battery Last Longer. With all the features digital cameras have these days, you may find keeping batteries a problem.  This could well be your biggest expense, but there are some things you can do to increase the length of time your batteries stay charged.  Let’s start with the three biggest sources of power drain.

The LCD screen takes up the most power.  It is possible to turn this feature off unless you really feel the need for it.  Using the camera’s viewfinder will conserve power.  Another big power drain is the flash.  Whenever you can, use natural lighting to take your photos and turn off the flash.  This will help save your battery for times when you absolutely need the flash.  A third drain on your battery is constantly using your zoom.  It takes more power zooming in and out than it does keeping your zoom at a steady place.  Try to find a setting you like and sticking with it as much as possible. Some other things you can do to make your battery last longer are::

1. Make sure Power Saving mode is on, or simply switch off your camera when you're not using it.
2. In cold weather, keep your camera and batteries warm in your jacket until you are ready to use them. The cold drains batteries very quickly.
3. Store batteries in a cool, dry location away from sunlight and other heat sources.
4. Avoid unnecessary playback of your already taken images.  Try to decide when you take the picture if it is a “keeper” or needs deleted and then refrain from reviewing until the pictures are downloaded to your computer.
5. Use the AC adapter. Most digital cameras have an adapter that allows you to plug directly into a power point.  If you don’t plan on moving around a lot and are near an outlet, the AC adapter will increase the life of your batteries.

Needing to buy more or recharge your battery is something you won’t be able to avoid completely, but with a few precautions this won’t be needed as often.

How to Save Photos From Your Digital Camera

How to Save Photos From Your Digital Camera. Once you’ve taken photos with your digital camera, you need to store them somewhere.  You could always leave them on the memory card, but that would get rather expensive, so let’s explore a few other options.

1. Transfer your images onto your computer.  Most cameras come with a wire to connect your camera to your computer, a CD with a downloading program and an instruction booklet.  Transferring the images is fast and simple.  Once they are on the computer, you can delete the images from your memory card and start taking more photos.
2. Burn your images onto a CD. If you have a CD burner on your computer, you can make photo discs to store or share with others.  When it comes to pictures, it is often best to use a CD that can’t be written over.  This will save the heartache of losing precious photos.  Label the CD and store it where it can be gotten easily when you need to see your pictures.\
3. Store your images on a public web site.  There are many photo-hosting sites on the internet.  Some charge for the service, but many are completely free.  You have the choice to password-protect your images or share them with the world.  This option helps if your computer should crash.  Your pictures are safe.
4. Print your images and place them in a photo album.  Many people still like turning the pages of a photo album and reviewing the memories.  This also makes it possible for those without a computer to view your pictures.
5. Create a photo gift.  There are places out there that will take your digital image and place in on shirts, mouse pads, cups, calendars and numerous other items.  These make wonderful gifts and provide a way to keep a cherished picture near at all times.

These are just a few suggestions.  Using your creativity, you will come up with many more ideas.

Three Steps to Buying Your First Digital Camera

Three Steps to Buying Your First Digital Camera. You’ve decided it’s time to buy a digital camera, but which one?  The aisles are full of different brands with different features and a wide variety of prices to match.  The task can be overwhelming.  Following are the three most important things you can do to make the decision easier.:

1. Do your research.  Talk to people who have digital cameras and ask them how they like theirs.  What features do they use often and which ones are “just there”?  Go online and visit sites that review different cameras and read what they have to say.
2. Next, decide how much money you are willing to spend on a camera.  There is no sense going into debt over a camera unless it will be used as your major income source.  Decide how often you will use the camera, what places you will be using it and who else will be using this particular camera. How much money can you reasonably spare?  All these things will help you narrow your choices.
3. Evaluate your needs and experience level.  Do you have experience or is this your very first camera?  Do you have time to learn a lot of features or are you happy with a camera you can just point and click?  Do you plan on growing in photography?  If so, a digital SLR may be your choice so it can be added onto to grow with you. 

Buying a digital camera doesn’t have to be a purchase full of stress.  Do your homework and know what you are looking for, then stick with the decision.  You are the best judge of what you need, trust yourself.  Each of the above steps will narrow your choices considerably and make that final decision easier to make and you can enjoy discovering the wonders of photography with your new purchase.

What Is the White Balance Setting on my Digital Camera?

What Is the White Balance Setting on my Digital Camera? Have you ever taken a picture of a beautiful winter scene and been disappointed to discover the crisp, white snow came out with a bluish tint?  This is the kind of situation your digital camera’s white balance is meant to prevent.

The white balance is a sensor that analyzes the lighting conditions and colors of a scene and adjusts so the white in the picture appears white.  This helps insure the other colors appear as natural as possible. This is one advantage digital photography has over tradition film.  With film, you buy with a certain lighting condition in mind.  If that changes, you need to either change your film or hope you can fix any errors in post-production.

Most digital cameras allow you to use either automatic white balance or choose between several preset conditions such as full sun, cloudy day and so forth.  Automatic white balance will work in most conditions.  There may be times, however when you want to “warm” up a picture to enhance the color, such as for portraits or sunsets.  The best way to do this is  set your camera’s white balance to “cloudy”.  This will deepen the colors and add a glowing quality to portraits.  It will take a beautiful sunset and enhance it to the point of incredible. 

Practice taking the same photo with different white balance settings to get a feel for the changes each setting evokes. Keep notes until you have a good idea of what each setting does.  In time, you will come to automatically sense which setting is best for your particular situation. 

White balance is a small setting that can make big changes in your finished photos.  Make it your friend and you will no longer have to worry about faded sunsets or blue snow.