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Learn the ropes of Digital Photography

By: David Peters

There are certain features on modern digital cameras that you can live without. Two closely related features in that category are digital zoom and interpolated resolution. Both rely on the same principle, and it is definitely something better left to the editing software on your computer. When on the subject of digital cameras, interpolation is just a term for a computer's best guess as to what should happen when you try to turn one large pixel into more than one smaller pixels. The computer (whether it's your home PC, a dedicated graphics machine at a photo lab, or the chip in your camera) uses mathematical formulas that try to guess, based on the colors of surrounding pixels, what the new substitute pixels should look like. For example, if a series of black pixels in a line on a white background are doubled, the pixels added between the black pixels will be black, and those between the white pixels will be white.



You can use your photo editing software or even many picture viewers or dedicated programs, to view and copy EXIF data. It can also be used by specialized software provided by the camera manufacturer when loading pictures into your computer to record information about camera settings and even provide editing options. One of the things these transfer programs can do is to change the timestamp of the newly created file to match the time the photo was taken. That's another good reason to set the clock on your camera to the correct time. This data can be used to record a log of photographs for a variety of purposes. The time a favored shot was taken may be referred to later in duplicating light conditions. You can keep track of settings for experimenting with changes in settings, and never get your pictures mixed up because the data is stored as part of the file itself. You can export or copy the EXIF information and not have to manually enter information in your log.



What is it that is actually capturing the image? Where film cameras have a roll of film exposed behind the aperture, digital cameras have a sensor. Most digital cameras use an array of photo sensors under a filter matrix which results in the sensors each recording red (8-12 bit), green (8-12 bit) or blue (8-12 bit) light intensities. These separate sensors or channels create what is often referred to as the Bayer matrix pattern where every other sensor records green with the alternating cells recording in red or blue. Each pixel in a conventional sensor only captures one color. This data is typically 10 or 12 bits per pixel, with 12 bits per pixel currently being most common. Most cameras now provide the option to instantaneously store the captured material in a RAW file while alternatively the camera's processor can weave the RAW data using all three color channels to provide an instant 24 bit full-color JPEG or TIFF display image. RAW is not an abbreviation but literally means "raw" or "unprocessed". A RAW data file contains the original image information as it comes off the sensor before in-camera processing so you have a variety of choices in processing the data on your PC using one of many editing software programs available.



Analog or film cameras use the term ASA speed, however it is important to remember that a single digital camera can capture and store images at several ISO speeds. Amplifying the image signal in a camera can also amplify noise and thereby higher ISO speeds may produce progressively more noise in the photo. The character of an image in a photo can also change noise. Where lighter areas in analog or film photos tend to have the most noise, it is the darker areas of digital photographs that have the largest amount of noise. Digital cameras produce three types of noise called random noise, fixed pattern noise and banding noise. Random noise describes the abnormal intensity of color fluctuations compared to the rest of the photograph. It is most influenced by the ISO speed however the pattern of random noise may change even if exposure settings remain the same. Random noise may be the least objectionable, but the most difficult to remove where the noise is too often mistaken for true image characteristics. Fixed Hot pixels or fixed pattern noise describe pixel intensity that far exceeds that of ambient random noise fluctuations.



If you are looking to turn your pictures into pieces of art, there are many options available to you, as well. You can turn your print into a black and white picture and hand color some details. You can create beautiful special effects that will really make your digital photo stand out in a crowd, too. As you can image, the tools to create the perfect picture can cost a lot of money, if you have to purchase them. If you are on a budget, or just like to save money, anything you can find for free is a bonus! Well, there are free photo editors out there, you just have to look for them. Since the introduction of the Internet, there are literally thousands upon thousands of pages of information that are geared specifically toward helping you achieve the pictures of your dreams. You don't have to spend one penny to edit your photographs. All you need is access to a computer and scanner and you are well on your way. Just log onto any one of the number of free photo editor applications available and a whole new world of editing possibilities will be right at your fingertips. Don't let your money, or lack of, keep you from making the best pictures, just download some freeware and start editing your own pictures!



For best results using fill flash, try to have your subject in shade with lit areas behind it. The fill flash takes care of the shade, and helps balance the light level so the subject and the background are clear and proportionately bright. If your camera has a "slow synchronized flash" feature, this can be used to combine foreground and background elements in a way not otherwise possible (because of the short reach of small, built-in flashes). With the use of a tripod and relatively still subjects, good quality shots can be taken in otherwise difficult conditions, such as night shots or even shots on a moving platform. Longer shutter delays can produce blur effects similar to the "moving traffic" effects often seen in advertising, and with a little patient experimentation you can produce shots with a mid-range digital camera that rival expensive commercial art.



The good news in the world of memory cards for digital photography is that new media is cheaper, faster, and more readily available than ever. The abundance of choices means you can always find a method of storage that fits your needs and budget, and you'll likely not end up with a camera that you can't find storage media for. Most of the time you choose your memory card based on which camera you have, and then you're more interested in size and brand than technology. When you're shopping for a new camera, however, you want to take memory type into account. That being said, here's the latest news on the available choices. Multi-Media Cards (MMC) are definitely worth looking out for. Developed as a royalty-free standard, anyone can make the cards or the devices that support them. As an added advantage, the full-size MMC cards can be used in SD card slots. As a disadvantage, the standard is growing - in the sense that there are now five versions of the MMC standard with different sizes, voltages and features, in use. So watch your eBay purchases carefully. Available in sizes up to 2 Gigabytes

Article Source: Free Content Articles Directory

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