Hatta - Dubai most ancient locations.

Hatta’s history

Dates back between 20 and 30 centuries. Hatta village is considered one of the most ancient locations in the Emirate of Dubai. The Heritage Village is distinguished by its fortified buildings and has about 30 houses which have been fully restored to their old style.

The Hatta heritage village is constructed around an old settlement and is a recreation of a traditional mountain village set in an oasis. The village helps you discover the old world charm of barasti (palm leaves) and mud houses. There’s a large central fort and tower which overlooks the village. Other added attractions are falaj, an oasis and vegetated seating areas where you can cool your heels.

Signs in Arabic and English will guide visitors to various sections of the site which includes an old mosque dating back 200 years and the Al Husen Majlis, where the governor of the village received guests and visitors. Al Husen contains the meeting room, the governor’s living quarters and weapons room.

There are several outdoor meeting places and resting areas known as Al Hadeera (Al Barza in local dialect) where visitors will be served coffee and dates.

There is a traditional house in the Hatta style, showing a majlis, store, kitchen master bedroom and children’s room.

Visitors will get a glimpse of traditional folklore at the poet’s majlis, while the social life house depicts life of villages in Hatta in the past. There are three rooms inside this house, one them showing majlis activities, the second having scenes of social life and the third the impact of outdoor life.

The palm tree products house contains two rooms, one displaying palm tree products such as items made from its fronds and the other shows dates and making honey from dates.
Traditional handicrafts house shows many types of traditional vocations such as blacksmith, farmer, etc.

Hatta Heritage Village is overlooked by two round towers - the Southern and Northern Towers - to protect the city from external attacks. They were built in the 1880s, during the rule of Shaikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Butti.

The Wadi Hatta itself offers endless opportunities for exploration, either on foot or by four-wheel drive vehicle. The village’s 200 year old Friday mosque is also worth a visit.
Hatta is a little over an hour’s drive from Dubai. When driving to Hatta, look out for huge sand dunes where you will see 4×4 vehicles dune driving.

Camel - is one of the most common animals in the Middle East

Domesticated thousands of years ago by frankincense traders, who trained the gangly cud-chewer to make the long and arduous journey from southern Arabia to the northern regions of the Middle East, the camel went on to become the desert dweller's primary source of transport, shade, milk, meat, wool and hides.

To appreciate the unique contribution that the Arabian camel has made to the people and history of desert lands, here's a comprehensive fact-pack on the special characteristics, body structure and behaviour patterns of this amazing creature.

Robbery in Wafi Mall Dubai UAE

A video copy of the robbery happened at the Wafi Mall Dubai UAE worth $14 million.

Dubai - Jumeirah Mosque

A city of mosques, decreed by the Sheik (that's His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai) not to be more than 500 meters apart, calling the faithful to prayer five times a day. Usually, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter mosques in Dubai; however, you may enter the Jumeirah Mosque if you are part of an organized tour. To encourage expatriates and non-Muslims to know more about Dubai's Islamic heritage, Arabic culture and religious practices, The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding organizes tours that gives visitors a chance to view the city’s most magnificent mosque up close.

Dubai Water Transport

Abras leave constantly from early morning until about midnight. There are two routes. The one closer to the mouth of the Creek runs between Bur Dubai Abra Dock and Deira Old Souq Abra Dock, while the other is between Dubai Old Souq Abra Dock and Sabkha Abra Dock. The fare is collected once you are out on the water.

Using Your New Camera -Technical skills

Learn to use Aperture

The aperture is the hole through which light enters the camera, also called the iris. Apertures are measured using a relative scale, and designated by 'f numbers' such as f4, f5.6 or f8. The smaller numbers refer to larger holes to let in light. The larger the aperture (smaller f number) the less time the camera needs to take a picture. For any particular light level and film speed (or digital equivalent) there are a range of 'equivalent exposures' which will produce the same exposure on film, for example

1/500 f4 : 1/250 f5.6 : 1/125 f11 : 1/60 f16

All these settings will produce the same exposure, but the results will often look rather different. If you are photographing a moving car, 1/500 f4 will probably give a fairly sharp result, but the slower shutter speed of 1/60 at f16 will produce a blurred result.

For any particular focal length, 1/500 at f4 will give a relatively shallow depth of field, perhaps useful to isolate a single figure from a background, but probably inadequate for a landscape subject with much depth. For this the much greater depth of field given by 1/60, f16 might be more suitable.

Many simpler cameras do not allow you to control the aperture, but use a 'programmed exposure' that chooses a combination of shutter speed and aperture. Sometimes there may be more than one program available, with a 'sports' program give faster shutter speeds and a 'landscape' program giving smaller apertures for any given light level.

With such cameras - and many digital cameras - the only way to control the aperture at all is to use a faster film speed, which will result in a smaller aperture being set.

Learn to use Shutter Speed

The shutter controls the length of time that light is allowed to enter the camera, and is usually expressed in a standard series of fractions of a second, such as:

1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/500 1/1000 etc

Conventionally cameras used this set list of speeds. Some modern electronically controlled shutters using LCD panels for setting, allow speeds between these. It is one of those "added features" that make operating a camera slower and less intuitive, and is seldom if ever of use.

Correct exposure depends on the light level and film speed (or sensor sensitivity.) As mentioned above, there is always a choice of suitable combinations of shutter speed and aperture, such as:
1/500 f4 : 1/250 f5.6 : 1/125 f11 : 1/60 f16
all of which give the same amount of light.

Shutter Speed and Subject Movement

Shutter speeds become important with moving subjects, especially those close to the camera. Few photographers realise the importance of shutter speeds when photographing people walking. At a normal walking pace you might cover a kilometre in around 10 minutes, giving a speed of roughly 1.5 metres per second. This is 1,500 mm per second, so in 1/500s, you will have moved on average 3 mm. Not a great distance, but certainly enough to cause some blur if you are walking across close to the camera.

In fact the situation is both worse and better. A person walking towards or away from the camera will seem considerably less blurred. However, as walking is a complex motion, although the average movement will be 3mm, both arms and legs may well be moving at something like twice this speed in part of the movement cycle.

As you move further away from the subject, the significance of subject movement decreases, as the subject gets smaller in the image.

Shutter speed and focal length

Shutter speed is also important in cutting down camera shake. For 35mm cameras a good rule of thumb is always to use a shutter speed that is equal to or faster than 1/focal length. So with a standard focal length lens of 50 mm, you should use shutter speeds of 1/50 or faster, while a 500 mm lens needs 1/500.

When working with a digital camera, you should use the '35mm equivalent' focal lengths for similar calculations. As you zoom out towards greater magnification you need to remember you are also zooming your camera shake. If you can set a faster shutter speed you should consider doing so.

The faster speeds are needed because the longer the focal length the more any slight movements are magnified in the image. Some recent lenses incorporate image stabilisation using motion sensors; in some digital cameras the same function is performed digitally. Image stabilisation enables you to use significantly slower shutter speeds without getting camera shake, but does not of course reduce any problems caused by subject movement.

In the traditional SLR camera design, one cause of camera shake was the mirror which had to flip up immediately before exposure to allow the light to reach the film. Cameras without this - including most digitals except some of the interchangeable lens SLR digitals - have an advantage in avoiding shake. Many photographers have used rangefinder cameras such as the Leica series handheld with standard 50mm lenses with success at 1/15 or even 1/8 second.

Using Your New Camera -Technical skills

Technical skills are an essential basis for photography, and until recently made it a relatively difficult medium to master. Both film and digital cameras now offer so much in the way of automation that most things are easier. Technical decisions produce differences in your pictures and cannot be separated entirely from composition and aesthetics.

Learn to Use Focus

Most modern cameras now have auto-focus systems, although there are still occasions when it is better to focus manually if your camera allows it. Older cameras always had a focus scale on the lens against which the subject distance was set. Usually the scale was also marked to give an indication of 'depth of field.'

'Depth of field' is one of the more difficult ideas for new photographers to understand and put to use. Although although only one particular distance is precisely in focus when we take a photograph, objects at a range of distances from the camera will look acceptably sharp in any print. If the closest object in a particular print that seems sharp is at 5 feet, and the most distant is at 15 feet, then the depth of field extends from 5 to 15 feet.

Depth of field is not an absolute measure, as it depends on the size of the print, viewing distance and the visual acuity of the observer. Suitable assumptions are made to come up with actual figures, and the idea remains a useful one. For any particular format and focal length, the depth of field gets larger as the lens aperture gets smaller.

The smaller format of most digital cameras results in them having greater depth of field for any given angle of view and aperture. This means that there are less focus problems, but also that it is harder to make backgrounds unsharp.

A few cameras have a built in system for setting the focus and aperture to give the required depth of field, but most auto focus cameras lack any such facility. If you want to be precise you will need a camera that allows manual focus and lens with a depth of field scale.

Even with an auto-focus camera I spend much of the time working with auto-focus switched off. Working rapidly using auto-focus on too often gives a sharp background and the closer subject out of focus.

When using wide angle lenses at moderate distances in good light, faster and more reliable results are obtained by rough manual focussing. With a 28mm lens set to f8 and a little under 1.5 metres, everything from 1 metre to about 2.5 metres will be sharp. I know because the scale on my 28mm tells me this, with depth of field markings for f8. In practice I don't set the distance at the centre mark for focus, but set the nearest distance against the aperture in use, then read off the far distance.

Using focus means using both sharpness and unsharpness. The far distance - in this example around 2.5 metres - tells me that if the background is further than this from the camera, then it will appear less sharp than my subject. This helps to make the subject stand out. At times I'll deliberately shift the focus of the lens closer than necessary for my subject to make sure that the background is unsharp

With cameras that don't have this facility, it is worth remembering that except for close-up pictures, the range of sharpness extends roughly twice as far from the point of focus away from the camera as it does towards it. To get the maximum sharpness across an area you should focus not at its centre point, but roughly one third into it.

Using Your New Camera - How to get the most from your new camera

Although specifically aimed at newcomers to photography, especially those just starting out with a new camera, some of the advice here will also be useful to those who've been taking pictures for a while and want to improve their photography. Even experienced photographers - myself included - would benefit at times from some of this advice. It's all too easy, especially with a new camera, to rush out and start taking pictures without much thought, only to find results that disappoint or even failures.

Read the Manual

When we get any new piece of equipment, most of us want to jump straight in and start playing with it. Although it's a very natural reaction, try to restrain yourself, and at least after a little playing, sit down and read through the manual.

Make sure you understand each section as you go through it, finding the parts mentioned on the camera as you read about them. Don't load the camera with film at this point, as you will want to open it and look inside. If you have a digital camera, you can't look inside much anyway - usually only in the battery compartment, but it doesn't matter if you take pictures trying out the controls as you will soon learn how to delete them.

You will soon run down the batteries on a digital camera playing around with it, so if you haven't got spares, one of the first things is to find out how to use the recharger. An advantage of the digital is that you can try out more or less everything as you read about it and see the results.

It usually pays to go through all the details, making sure you understand. This isn't always easy as sometime the manuals are very poorly translated into English. One Russian camera I bought only had the manual in Russian, which was even less helpful. Fortunately there were enough diagrams for me to work out the important points - and I needed to use them as it was an unusual camera design.

Getting Help

If you are new to photography, you may find some words you don't know. The 'Glossary' (links at right) may help you with these. Some more complicated cameras come with a brief sheet with important details for you to carry when you go out to take pictures, at least when you are starting. It may be a good idea to make your own card with what you think are the most important points.

I still need to do this with some of my cameras for the features I use less often. Almost every camera I use, for example, seems to have a slightly different way of using flash, and there are often several different settings. I'm not sure how many cameras I own. There are a dozen or so I use fairly often (3 SLR bodies, 3 rangefinder bodies, 2 compacts, 3 panoramic cameras, a medium format camera and a digital) as well as those that see the very occasional outing. Fortunately most of them are pretty simple.

Find all the controls and what they do

This is really point 1 again, but looked at from the camera rather than the manual The great Henri Cartier-Bresson used to advise photographers to learn how make all the camera settings (shutter speeds, apertures and distances) without looking at the camera.

The aim was to be so familiar with the camera you could even operate it in total darkness, working completely by feel. This isn't possible with many camera designs, which rely on LCD menus and various buttons, switches and wheels.

Older cameras - such as the Leica M series - could become almost an extension of the photographer. His main purpose in doing this was to get the camera ready so that when he wanted to take a picture he had only to raise the camera to his eye for a fraction of a second to frame the image precisely and take it. If you want to be a photojournalist you certainly need to learn to work fast and without fuss, and to get it right.

Greater automation in cameras has fortunately made the kind of total control he had less necessary. Often we can get away with letting the camera sort out the exposure details, using automatic or programmed exposure settings. Expensive autofocus systems can focus fast enough for us to leave it to them, although it is still better to rely on manual focus in some situation.

However you still need to know your camera. Even with static subjects like architecture or landscape, you will sometimes have to work fast to catch an effect of light or a person in the right place. Time spent getting to know your camera, and what all of the buttons and menus do really will help you to take pictures

Film or Digital: Part - 4

Digital is More Fun

The reason why digital photography has taken off at an incredible rate over the past few years is quite simple. As more and more people are discovering, digital photography is great fun.

It is simple to realise and say this, but more difficult to explain exactly why this is. But I think the major difference between film and digital photography is not a matter of technology or new skills that it involves, but of the different social roles it involves.

Digital - a Rise in Sharing

The take-up of digital photography over the past few years has happened at a much greater rate than most of the pundits anticipated. Their forecasts were largely based on technical issues, but the driving force has actually been changes in how we have come to use cameras and photographs, and in particular in the ability to share them with others.

Although some people have converted from being users of film to users of digital, there has been a great increase in the number of people taking photographs, and in the number of photographs that we each take.

Digital has brought the social interactions involved in photography very much to the foreground. People out with friends will take pictures on their digital cameras and then can immediately pass the camera around so they can share them. Working with people on the street, I’ll often do the same, showing the people I’ve photographed the picture I’ve made of them. With phone cameras, you can even share the images immediately with absent friends.

Being a photographer has often been seen as being an observer of events rather than taking part in them. Many spent long hours on their own in darkrooms too. Although it wasn’t a stereotype that fitted many of the great characters of photography, some of whom were adventurers and extremely gregarious storytellers, it gave photography a certain unattractive reputation. A rather more glamorous reputation came from fashion photography, fuelled by the images in films such as 'Blow Up' in the 1960s, but it was still that of a loner, if one of attractive and sexy genius.

Digital cameras have put their users back into the centre of things, with the taking of pictures becoming much more a social activity, something that can be immediately shared with everyone involved.

This different usage of digital cameras has also influenced camera design. Sharing your pictures when you are taking them has made people want better and larger displays on the back of the camera. Using the display to take your pictures means that you are beginning that sharing experience, holding your camera out towards those you are photographing, and seeing the image exactly as they will see the picture you take. Holding the camera to your eye and looking through a viewfinder does seem much more like spying on people, although most photographers find it a more convenient way to work, especially in sunny conditions.

Many cameras have now dispensed completely with a viewfinder, at least in part to enable the viewing screen to be larger. Since holding the camera at arm’s length greatly increases camera movement while taking pictures, technology has come to the aid of users with image stabilisation, seldom of great importance when we used cameras at our eye, but near essential when we wave them in front of us.

Of course you could share photographs before, but it was a different and much less immediate activity, waiting for the films to be processed, then meeting up again to pass the prints or an album around. There were instant materials, but prices per exposure were too high for frequent use by most people.

The continuing growth of the Internet also makes easier the process of sharing photographs, through online albums and services such as Flikr. Digital images can be shared directly, while sharing images taken on film requires extra effort, either by scanning them yourself (if you own a scanner) or getting scans written to CD-ROM as a part of the processing.

For most people, it is these social aspects of digital that have made it more attractive than film, and any technical or quality considerations are very much less important. Of course it helps that in several respects digital is easier to use.

Film or Digital: Part - 3

Special Needs for Film

Working in the WildernessDigital cameras need power. Without batteries they are dead. Some cameras using film are the same, but it is generally easier to carry spares, as their batteries last for many films. There are still some that continue to take pictures without batteries.
For working with digital, you need to have some way of recharging batteries, and that generally requires a mains power supply. So if you are really away from it all, this may present a problem.
Few photographers have enough memory cards to store all their pictures on prolonged trips, although the prices of these have reduced considerably, making this a possible option. Most travel with either a notebook computer or a smaller device containing a hard drive. Both have batteries, which also need frequent recharging, which again can be a problem in out of the way places.

Some digital cameras can work with widely available batteries such as AA size, and this can make working around the world with them easier.

Learning to be a Photographer

Many photography courses still teach using film. I don’t think there is any good reason for this, more that it is a matter of personal and institutional inertia.
Most photographers in the future will not need to use black and white film or to make black and white prints. These activities have no particular merit in photography courses, although using black and white does help to concentrate the mind on particular aspects of image making. Black and white photography remains a powerful medium, as many photojournalists, landscape photographers and others prove day after day (and you’ll see the evidence in many of the links that appear on the front page of this site.) But increasingly black and white comes from digital cameras, some of which even have a black and white mode to use while shooting. For most it is simpler to use software to convert images shot in colour to black and white.

Almost all commercial uses of photography now require digital files, and the simplest way to provide these is by using digital capture. Even while teaching students using film, I found Photoshop to be a powerful (if not essential) tool, enabling them to see and understand how their images could be treated in different ways. What might have taken a term in the darkroom could be done in a few hours on a computer, and done with more precission as well as in ways that would be impossible in the darkroom.

But if you take a course that still uses film (and many otherwise very good courses still do) then you will need a film camera. Fortunately decent manual SLRs are now very cheap (and there are great second-hand bargains.) It would be useful to buy one that takes the same lenses as the DSLR you’ll get now, or later when you can afford it, for personal or commercial work.

Special Cameras

In my personal work, I use both film and digital. Most of my work, and almost all that might be sent to libraries or other commercial use, is still digital. But there are still some things that affordable digital cameras cannot do.

Rangefinder

At the moment, there is no digital camera that enables me to shoot in the same way as on a Leica (although the expected Leica M digital may change that – if I can afford it.) Rangefinder cameras like this allow you to work rapidly and unobtrusively, and deliver excellent quality.

Panoramic

I also regularly use several film panoramic cameras, including a Hasselblad Xpan and a 6x12 swing lens camera. For static subjects, I could usually get similar results by stitching several digital exposures, but it is more convenient to be able to use a single exposure. With moving subjects, stitching presents problems.

Extreme

Detail I don’t work often enough with either of my 4 x 5" cameras to afford a digital back. To get that equivalent quality on digital still requires an outlay of perhaps $15-20,000 for equipment. Secondhand 4x5" cameras and lenses can be found for a few hundred dollars.

Film or Digital: Part -2 Technical Issues

Image Quality

Few photographers would now dispute that in most or all respects the quality from digital cameras can equal or surpass that available from film. However digital quality is largely dependent on the camera and to some extent you get what you pay for.
Few of us want or need to spend a fortune chasing after the ultimate in quality. All we need is something good enough for our purposes.

If you only want to view and share your pictures on screen, the requirements are fairly low. Most current screen displays are less than 1600 pixels wide, and a good quality image that size needs only a good 2 or 2.5 Mp image. If you are only interested in images for web sites or e-mail use, then even smaller sizes are necessary; a typical 'large' image on the web is around 600x400 pixels, or 0.25Mp.

So almost all digital cameras - even most phone cameras - are good enough for images used on screen.

Most film cameras now use the still widely available 35mm film, and this can provide high quality prints up to 8" x 12" and considerably larger if you have a camera with a good lens. Prints or negatives can also be scanned to give images on screen at any size required. If you are on a low budget, film is still the cheapest route to high quality.

Making prints needs more pixels than a screen image - typically about ten times as many for a picture the same size. Screen displays have around 70-100 pixels per inch, while around 250-300 are needed for optimum prints, although you can do a good job with slightly lower figures.
Image quality depends on the sensor and lens quality, but the most important factor (and the easiest to give a number to) is the pixel count in Mp. The actual size print you can make that will still look great depends on these other factors as well. With high quality digital cameras (such as digital SLRs) and good lenses you can make good prints larger than these figures suggest.

Print Size (inches) and recommended minimum image size.

4 x 6 inches 2.0 Mp

5 x 7 inches 3.0 Mp

6 x 9 inches 4.5 Mp

8 x 12 inches 6.0 Mp

10 x 15 inches 8.0 Mp

If you decide the largest you will ever need your pictures to be, then there is no particular need to buy a camera that has a higher pixel count than this table shows you will need.
If you can afford it, having more megapixels than you need isn't usually a problem, and does allow you to play with the pictures more on your computer, for example by cropping off parts of the picture you don't want. However larger images do take more storage space on cards and hard disks, and are also slower to edit.

Digital or Film - Which Should You Buy? Part - 1

If you are new to photography, the first thing you need is a camera, and the first thing you need to decide about it is whether to buy a film or digital camera. For most people now, a digital camera is probably a better choice, and many more are now being sold than film cameras, but film can still be best for some. To help you make up your mind, here are some of the major issues:

Camera Costs

Film cameras are generally relatively cheap so long as you only want a simple camera.
Digital cameras of similar quality may cost several times as much as film cameras.

Media Cost

Films are fairly cheap, but if you take many pictures the costs soon mount up.
Digital memory cards cost more than a film, but are almost infinitely reusable

Processing & Printing Costs

Film processing can be very cheap if you use bargain services that process film and print every picture.

But you get prints of any failures along with the good shots.

Digital allows you to review pictures before printing and delete any not needed. Any processing on your computer cost you nothing and cheap printing services are available - or you can print your own.

Speed

Film takes hours or days before you see your picture and it may take longer for you to finish a roll of film.

Digital allows you to see your pictures immediately and to share them with others as you take them or rapidly by e-mail or web.

Computer

Film is fine if you don't have a computer, and computer skills are not essential. If you computer and scanner you can scan your images.

Digital makes a computer almost essential, and you need basic computer skills to download, process and share your images.

Batteries

Film cameras generally shoot large numbers of films on a single battery.
Digital cameras have short battery life, though they are generally rechargeable.

Away From Home

Film only needs films and camera. Processing is available in most places around the world.
Digital cameras need battery charger and/or spare batteries, can be difficult in remote places. Need to travel with a storage device (or notebook computer) for storage of many pictures and processing.

Quality

Film has high quality, and even cheap cameras can produce reasonable large prints
Digital quality depends on camera quality, and relatively expensive cameras are needed to match film.

Overall costsMost of the costs of taking pictures with a digital camera come 'up front' when you buy the camera (and any other equipment you need.) With film, the camera comes relatively cheap, but you 'pay as you go' for film and processing.

If you only take a few rolls of film a year, then film is going to work out cheaper for you, while if you take a lot, digital will save you money.

ConclusionIf you don't have a computer (or one you can use whenever you want) then you will find it difficult to get the most out of a digital camera, and would probably be better staying with film. But for most of us, unless we have special needs (see below), digital is best.

Perhaps even more importantly, digital photography is quite simply more fun. Even if you don't take that many pictures now, if you buy a digital camera you will surely find yourself taking many more, and also taking better pictures.

The Cost of Photography

Is Digital Cheaper Than Film?

Film or DigitalThe speed of the switch from photography on film to digital surprised most. Few considering a new camera would now buy a film camera, and film has now more or less become a specialist or niche medium.

Digital has led to a surge of interest in taking photographs, with many people taking many more pictures. After all, it doesn’t cost anything on digital, does it?

The assumption that digital photography is cheaper than using film, simply because you don't have to buy film has been a powerful motivator in persuading people to change to digital, but in fact it may not be true. For some users, film remains cheaper.

Working out the CostFew of us ever ask how much it costs us to take a photograph, and when we think about it seldom give an answer that takes all the costs into consideration.

There are costs involved, but what we mean is that the extra cost of taking one more picture is, at least approximately, zero. This extra cost is sometimes called the marginal cost.

Once we’ve bought a camera for example, although it may have cost a considerable amount, we tend to forget about it. It’s money already spent (though we may still be paying for it on our credit card.) Thinking about our budget on a day-to-day or month-to-month basis, we no longer take it into account. But of course it is a very real cost.

There are of course considerable costs involved in buying the equipment for both film and digital photography. Generally, the initial or set-up costs are greater for digital photography than for film, but the running costs are almost zero with digital.

Finding Your Actual CostsIf you are already taking photographs then you can easily work out how much photography is costing you. Professional photographers should already know this from their annual accounts and should ask their accountants if they are not clear. The feature 'Calculate Your Photo Costs' is a simple guide to enable amateurs without an accounting qualification to work out their costs.

This is useful information for anyone, and may even help you to justify the cost of some new equipment - or make you tighten your photographic belt so as to have more to spend on other things.

If you are not already taking photographs, or are thinking of changing from film to digital photography, then a calculation of the costs involved will be particularly useful.
Film and Digital: Two comparisonsThere are two examples which give you an idea of the how the cost calculation works in practice - and which also cast some light on which of film or digital is cheaper.

The first example is of the costs for an amateur photographer who takes relatively few pictures, Film v. Digital: Occasional Amateur Use.

The second example makes a similar comparision for a keen amateur making considerable use of their camera: Film v. Digital: Serious Amateur.

Film and Digital: Costs for the ProIt isn't really possible to cover the very different possibilities for professional practice, but the feature Film and Digital: Costs for the Pro looks at some of the issues and gives some advice on them.

Identifying the Real Costs: Digital is DifferentWhatever level you are at in photography, whether you are just an occasional snapper or a busy pro, if you use film, almost all of the money that you spend on photography is simply for that purpose. Cameras, film, photographic equipment generally has no other use than making pictures (unless you are a camera collector.)
With digital, except for most professionals, the situation is different. The computer that is essential for your photography is also essential for sending and reading your e-mail, visiting web sites, perhaps playing DVDs or listening to Internet radio etc. Digital photography only really became possible for a mass market because almost everyone has a computer now.

However if you are a keen photographer, you may well find yourself buying a better computer with a faster chip, more memory, more expensive display screen and extra hard disk space. The extra cost of these, and some fraction of the cost of the system is then a photographic cost, although one it may be hard to put an exact figure to.

There are some other computer-related costs that are clearer to attribute to our photography. Unless I was a photographer, I wouldn’t have a negative scanner and 3 printers attached to my computer, nor be spending several hundred dollars a year on blank CDs and DVDs and the storage cases for them to archive my pictures. I’m currently considering adding extra network attached storage to hold some of those terabytes of image files.

Software is another area where we may spend money on photography, for example in buying Photoshop and image management software. There are free tools available suitable for the ordinary user, but if you want to work with your images, particularly if you are a pro, some considerable expense is needed

Working with digital - A Guide in buying Digital Camera

This feature is one in a series on digital photography aimed in particular at professionals and serious amateur photographers and deals with buying cameras and related issues, as well as two of the technical aspects of taking pictures that are special to digital photography - file formats and in camera storage:

Problems in buying digital cameras
Costs, dust and camera backup
Digital Negatives - using Raw format
JPEG and TIFF Formats
Compact Flash and Microdrives
Other features related to digital photography are listed in the box at the right of the page. The next part of this series will look at safe long-term storage and cataloguing of digital images. Further features will examine editing, printing and publishing digital images and other aspects of digital photography.

If you are new to photography, and are using a digital camera, there will still be much of interest here and in the other features on this site.

We are all digital now

Many photographers are now working completely with digital images, taking them on digital camera and camera backs and supplying them to clients either over the internet or on CD. Others - like myself - are still dipping our toes in the water and teetering, steeling ourselves to make the plunge to a completely digital solution. A recent 'TrendWatch Graphic Arts' report found over 80% of commercial photographers using digital cameras, with just over half owning a professional digital camera, and slightly more intending to buy one in the next 12 months.

Photography for me has been partly digital for some years. I started working with images on a computer around twenty years ago (before Windows), wrote my first CD about ten years back (I took it to show a major government agency at the time and they didn't have a single machine with a drive that could read it.) Seven or eight years back I put my first site on the web. Most of my printing is now digital (though I still make contact 'proof prints' in the darkroom, because it is quicker and cheaper.) The lab gets my work on CD, as do some clients.

Truly we are all now in a digital age. Our pictures will be used digitally even if we still supply them on film. I do use a digital camera, but only a consumer model, though I've sold and exhibited a few of the images I've taken with it. Most of my work is still taken on 35mm (and occasionally 120) film.

I'm an occasional user of ultra wide lenses - including the great (and ridiculously cheap) 15mm Voigtlander lens. I also love to use my Hassleblad X-Pan with its 30mm wide-angle, producing seriously wide panoramics, though at times I take this further with a swing lens camera that gives 120 or 130 degrees horizontal view.

Such images are possible with digital, but not with the simplicity and ease of these specialised cameras, simple to use handheld in normal daylight. Digital can only produce similar images by joining several frames, or by using a cumbersome scanning system.

Only the current top of range models use full-frame sensors, so unless I spend perhaps ten thousand dollars now I'd have to put up with losing those extreme wide angles. Possibly next year, with the next wave of cameras, I may be able to get similar capability at perhaps half the price. Logic and the bank manager may suggest I should wait, but I don't think I can for much longer.

A recent feature (see box, top right,) looked at pro and 'prosumer' digital SLR cameras currently available or due shortly. All of them had their good points and can deliver 'film quality' or better for most types of work. Which is best for any particular photographer depends on the type of work and also any existing investment in lenses and accessories.

Choosing your camera


When it comes to actually buying a camera, there are other considerations. Several of the models I mentioned in my recent feature are either not available yet, or in extremely short supply with long waiting lists. In some cases the supply problem is simply because the camera has proved more attractive than the manufacturer anticipated, but it may also be the result of difficulties in production - which perhaps makes it a less desirable proposition.

If you have been reading the latest online reviews, you will know that the SD9 produces the stunning image quality that was expected from its Foveon X3 chip (see box, top right,) giving markedly sharper pictures than its competitors. However the camera is less usable than the Canon, Fuji or Nikon and as yet only appearing in very small numbers. It would appear to have proved that the X3 concept does work, and increases the chance that an upgraded chip will appear in cameras from the major manufacturers at a future date.

Unhappy returns


Recently I've heard from several photographers who have had to return their new digital bodies for replacement, including some who have had two replacements from the retailer before getting one that was functioning properly. Some have had great problems with dirt on the sensors, and others have had obvious defects with "dead pixels" on them.

Of course, some customers are less discriminating than others, even when paying for relatively expensive equipment. Some dealers take less care of equipment in stock than others, and some are less ready to listen to customer complaints. As well as choosing which camera to go for, we have the problems of finding stock and supplier. Its an area where it may well pay to go to a reliable dealer rather than aim to save every last cent.

Good dealers take customer complaints seriously, replace equipment and take the problem up with their supplier. Some less reputable ones have been known to pack up returned goods carefully and sell them to the next customer in the home they will be less fussy.

Digital Camera (Pixels and Beyond)

Cells and Pixels

In digital cameras the light-sensitive medium is a silicon chip covered with a regular pattern of very small light sensitive circuits. When a few photons hits one of these it causes a few electrons to flow in a circuit. These electrical signals are then amplified and converted into a digital format.
Each cell in most sensors is covered by a red, green or blue filter (RGB), so that only light of that colour can reach it. The 'raw' image that contains the digital values for these separate RGB sites is then mathematically converted into pixels - values for red green and blue at a particular point.


Technical Quality

Assuming that the camera is used properly, the major factors that affect the technical quality of digital camera images are:

Number of pixels
Size of sensor
Optical quality of lens
Correct design, build and operation of focus, exposure and processing systems.
Pixel count alone gives a very poor idea of a camera's capabilities.

Pixel count

Many images used professionally have been taken on cameras with only 2-3 Megapixels. A greater number of pixels will not improve image quality if they information they provide is less reliable. A 5 or 6Mp cameras should be able to produce decent prints at up to A3 size.

Sensor size

Consumer cameras use small sensors, only a few millimetres in each dimension, making the individual pixels very small. Professional cameras use larger sensors - so that the individual cells are perhaps 5-10 times the area and are also better separated. The larger cells capture more light for the same exposure, giving electrical signals that need less amplification and have less random noise. The better separation also means there is less interference between the signals from neighbouring cells.
For small sensor consumer cameras, the increase from 6Mp to 8Mp or more seems to result in little if any improvement in image quality. With current manufacturing techniques, 6Mp is probably the optimum size for consumer cameras.

With the larger sensors in more professional digital single lens reflex cameras - such as the Nikon D70 and Canon Digital Rebel (EOS 300D) - 6Mp gives noticeably better quality images. With this size sensor, an increase to 8Mp or 11Mp does give an improvement in quality, with sensors around 18x24mm giving 8Mp probably likely to become a standard. The current high-quality 6Mp cameras are as good as 35mm film for most purposes. dSLRs are generally fairly large, bulky and expensive compared to consumer (or prosumer) cameras. You can find more about the different digital camera types in the separate features on them.

Lens quality

Lens quality also has an important influence on the image quality - there is little point in having a high-resolution digital conversion of an unsharp optical image. Lens quality can only really be assessed by practical tests, but the better-known camera and lens makers - Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Konica Minolta, Pentax, Leitz as well as Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and others - can generally be relied on to produce good quality.
Design, Build and Operation
These are qualities that can only be assessed by a combination of detailed camera testing - as carried out for the better reviews on line and in print - and also a long-term user assessment.

Viewfinder

Most consumer digital cameras also have an LCD screen that can be used for taking pictures. Some have a digital viewfinder where you look through an eyepiece at a digital image. Current models are slow to update and have poor resolution. The best viewfinders are those on dSLRs where you see an optically produced image through the lens on a viewing screen.

Storage Type

Most digital cameras use memory cards of one kind or another to store the images you take. These can be taken out of the camera and replaced by other cards. Several different card types are in use and are not interchangeable. You can read more about storage in the feature on Memory Cards.

Image Download

Digital camera images can be downloaded from the camera to a computer or printer using the cable which is supplied with the camera. Older cameras mainly used serial cables, but almost all newer cameras use a USB connection. When plugged into a computer running Windows XP or other recent operating system, the images will appear as files on another hard disk. You can also remove the storage card from the camera and read the images using a card reader. Some printers allow you to print directly from the storage card.

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro: an expert blend of image and handling

Release of much-anticipated Fujifilm DSLR for early 2007

Fujifilm today announces the development of the FinePix S5 Pro, the keenly-awaited successor to the acclaimed FinePix S3 Pro. In a DSLR market that is much more competitive and dynamic than the one its predecessor was launched into, the FinePix S5 Pro will stand apart from the crowd by combining the much sought-after picture quality of Fujifilm’s Super CCD SR sensor with a fully digital and durable professional metal alloy body. With this superior combination of truly professional handling and image quality, Fujifilm expects the FinePix S5 Pro to appeal to an even broader range of professional photographers.

BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER - Part 5

Part 5 - More Areas of Photography

EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Editorial photographers provide the pictures for magazines and newspapers other than those in the adverts. The work ranges from portraits, fashion, food and illustrations for feature articles to news photography. Some photographers are employed by the publishers as 'staff' photographers, but increasingly these pictures come from freelance (self-employed) photographers, either direct or through agencies and picture libraries. Some freelances specialise in areas such as portraiture or food. Photography from editorial photographers (and photojournalists) may also be used for some advertisements.
Editorial photography usually involves less organisation than advertising - budgets are generally much lower, and photographers often work on their own or simply with an assistant. Deadlines may often mean working very long hours to finish a job.

PRESS AND PHOTOJOURNALISM

The public image of the photographer is most often that of a 'newspaper photographer' and is still based on the old Hollywood movies featuring 'Weegee' - or characters based on him = rushing onto the scene with 4x5" Speed Graphic and bulb flash. Things have of course changed, and most dramatic news pictures don't come from press photographers but from photojournalists working for the major agencies and similar bodies.
Newspaper photographers do still exist, though they now tote Nikons (possibly digital), use electronic flash and mainly get to photograph set up pictures at local events. Sometimes they also have to write the stories to go with pictures (often little more than extended captions in any case.) It is often a job involving long hours for relatively low pay, but provides a steady salary.
Increasingly papers call on freelance photographers as a lower cost option than employing staff. For the successful, freelance photojournalism can be an exciting and rewarding career, and if you do really well you could even become a member of Magnum, or one of the other leading agencies. Unfortunately for many other photographers it can be risky and financially disastrous. Photographers do get killed and injured in war zones, and others risk their life, bring back good pictures and find that there is no editor interested in publishing them.
Much freelance photojournalism is safer if less exciting, and the major danger facing most freelances is bankruptcy. In a city such as London there are probably at any time around ten times as many people seeking jobs as the market will support, and the day rates paid by some of the larger newspapers are little above the minimum wage. Elsewhere the situation is generally a little better, but photographers generally have to spend some time building up contacts and developing specialisms to make a living.

LIBRARIES AND STOCK

Freelance photographers will often put pictures into picture libraries and stock agencies. If you have sufficient work in them these tend to give a regular income which helps keep going. Some photographers specialise in stock and are able to make a living from it alone. Libraries generally take 50% of any fees for sales that they make of pictures from the library, though usually a smaller percentage on commissioned work they pass on to photographers. Libraries on the web may also work to a smaller percentage of fees, but any that charge more than nominal costs 'up-front' should be avoided.
Selling your work directly is time-consuming but worthwhile if you can build up a number of regular clients. Having work on the web can be one way to make sales, as increasingly picture researchers are looking there.

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Fashion photography is another high-profile occupation. Names like David Bailey and Helmut Newton became known around the world. Fashion is again a difficult area to break into, and getting in as an assistant to a fashion photographer even more difficult. At least until you get famous, an interest in fashion and a knowledge of the clothing industry can be needed (although some of the best fashion photographers have never taken clothes seriously).

SCIENTIFIC PHOTOGRAPHY

The largest area of actual employment for photographers is almost certainly in the scientific areas, where most photographers have staff positions with regular hours and regular salaries. It is also the area where there tend to be specifically stated entrance requirements (though not always involving a photo course.). As well as general courses in the photographic sciences and photography as a science, there are also specialist qualifications in some areas.
Examples of areas involving a scientific approach include medical photography, aerial photography, general scientific photography (including high speed photography), police and forensic photography, military photography and museum work. Legal photography is one area where many photographers are freelance, providing evidence mainly for the defence in suitable cases.

Opportunities in these areas - particularly for government work, vary widely from country to country. Much of the work may be relatively routine, for example the copying of documents and recording of artefacts by museum photographers.

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Traditionally the term fine art photographer meant a photographer who made photographic records of paintings and drawings etc, one of the scientific specialities/ It is now more commonly used to mean a photographer who produces photographic prints as a fine art activity, for exhibition in museums and sales in galleries.

Although sales of photographs have improved over the last thirty years, relatively few photographers make a living entirely in this way. Typical prices of fine art photographs are still below those of other fine art prints, and photographs are much harder to sell. Apart from a few of the 'big names' in photography, most other photographers whose work you see in galleries still rely on other sources of income - particularly teaching - to make a comfortable living.
Becoming a well-known photographer does bring offers of teaching from some photo courses, and some photographers also offer workshop classes, so there is a link between the two activities. Some photographers whose work is more decorative also manage to make a good living by print sales for ordinary people to hang on their walls at home.

EDUCATION

Teaching others to become photographers can be a worthwhile occupation and provide a regular job. For most teaching jobs a degree or higher degree in an appropriate subject is essential. Many photographers in teaching also continue with photography, either as a freelance or as a fine art photographer.

SERVICES TO PHOTOGRAPHY

There are many jobs essential to photography that do not involve taking pictures. Photo laboratory work is essential, though most is not particularly creative, but there are a number of top quality hand-printers who can make a reasonable living printing for some of the best photographers around. Retouching is also a creative skill, whether carried out with brush or computer system.
Picture libraries need people who understand photographs, and many photographers have ended up running libraries and agencies as well as working as picture editors. Others have moved to running hire studios, and providing specialist services such as finding locations or props.
An interest in photography and knowledge of cameras is a great asset in photography retail, and if cameras are really your interest you could consider becoming a camera repairer.

CONCLUSION

There are plenty of interesting careers in photography, some glamorous and well paid, but most photographers are self-employed and many find it difficult to make a living. Even if you end up working in a different job, you can still carry on getting enjoyment out of taking pictures, either as a part-time photographer or simply for its own sake.

BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER - Part 4

Part 4: Areas of Work

Many photographers may work in several of these areas, and some only in a very specialised field within one of them.

GENERAL PHOTOGRAPHY

General photographers are those based in a local community with a shop or 'studio' on the street or perhaps working from their home. They deal with the general public, getting custom mainly from personal recommendations, but also from their shop window (if they have one) and from advertisements in local newspapers and other media. Most of their work will be for members of the general public, photographing weddings, taking portraits. Some will also do a considerable amount of photography for companies in the local area, including PR photography, product and architectural photography.

General photographers have to get on with people well to put them at their ease, and to be reliable and well-organised. Most of their work will be in business hours and they will seldom need to travel far.

COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Commercial photographers supply photographic services to companies, including PR photography, product photography, architectural photography, Some specialise in one or more of these areas, for example photographing interiors of buildings. Other specialist commercial areas include Catalogue photography, where large numbers of product shots are produced in high quality at a rapid rate. generally using simple sets and formulaic lighting.

ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY

Although a relatively small section of the industry, this has an extremely high profile, partly because the results are clearly visible in magazines and on billboards, but also because of the large amounts of money involved. Some advertising photographers have become celebrities, but others remain unknown to the general public.

Advertising photographers generally have a considerable creative input into their work, interpreting the ideas and rough visuals along the Art Director of the advertising agency. However the main part of the job is a great deal of detailed planning and coordinating the team of people who may be needed for a successful shoot, including set makers and model makers, location scouts, stylists and models, Advertising photography can be a highly stressful occupation - even though most of the actual work is delegated to others - and is very competitive.

Photographers start as 'assistants', who do anything that needs doing, carrying gear, painting walls, sweeping floors, making tea, chasing up deliveries, fetching sandwiches - and they may occasionally touch a camera, if only to load or unload film. As they gain experience they can expect to do more of the actual lighting and photography.

As well as making everything run smoothly, assistants are also learning in a practical manner how the job is done. Permanent assistants are often allowed (if not expected) to make use of the facilities to develop their own skills and build their own portfolios when not working on a job, and eventually may be able to take on small jobs themselves using the studio facilities before they branch out as photographers in their own right.

Assistants are usually poorly paid, the hours are long and unpredictable, and work is generally hard to find. Most hirings are on a short term basis and if you don't fit in and pull your weight you will not get work again. Until you have experience it is hard to get work at all - you may have to start with unpaid 'work experience'. A good 'book' (portfolio of work), a good interview manner and tons of persistence are needed.

BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER - Part 3

Part 3: Should you study photography?

If you want to be a photographer you can usually just go out there and do it, though it is often very difficult to find clients for your work. However, for many areas of photography no formal educational qualifications are needed - if your work is good enough and you can promote it you will succeed...

However I would recommend everyone to take an appropriate course, preferably to college graduate level. You don't have to give up the idea of being a photographer until after you finish your course though - get out and start taking pictures now. Some students even find they can earn enough from photography to support them through their course.

As well as giving a thorough grounding in theory and practice, any worthwhile course will also enlarge your horizons generally and give you a valuable perspective on the career you want to pursue. It may well lead you to refine or alter your career plans and should provide you with added confidence.

Some courses will also include opportunities for work experience, trying out your chosen area and seeing how others make a living at it. You can of course arrange this for yourself even if you are not taking a course, and on many courses you will have to make the arrangements yourself in any case. Work experience is a great way to find out more about a career.

Although currently there are many areas of photography for which the only qualification you need is to be able to produce good pictures, you are quite likely to find at some point in your life that the lack of qualifications will bar you progress or prevent you taking a new direction.
For some areas of photography, the most appropriate course may not necessarily be a photography or related course. If you read the biographies of many well-known photojournalists you will find a wide variety of qualifications. Degrees in English, Journalism, Economics, Sociology and other subjects abound.

For mature entrants to photography - those who have already qualified in other fields, there is probably less point in taking a photography course. However some courses prefer mature students and it can be a great advantage to have had experience of life in other occupations.

Which School

There is no right choice of course for everyone - you need to research your choices carefully. Apart from the material factors such as location, cost, length and level of qualification, you need to look carefully at what each school has to offer, as some have quite different aims to others. Some are very much art orientated and others give more attention to professional matters and there are also more scientific courses. You will need to decide which approach is best for you and your intended career.

Most colleges now have some course information on line and you should also get published material from your likely choices. There should be opportunities to see student work, either on the web or in print or in end of course shows and there may be opportunities to visit or Open Days, when you may be able to talk to students, If the student work doesn't interest you then this may not be the course for you.

Larger schools can often offer better equipment and may have better-known staff, but smaller institutions may be easier to get to know people in and offer a more personal treatment. Institutions in large urban areas may have a much greater range of experience to offer in terms of access to museums, exhibitions and photographers studios etc, while those away from the big city may have other advantages, such as more space and interesting local landscape.

Courses will also differ in their entry requirements, and for some these will be more general than photographic. For many courses a good general educational standard, perhaps particularly in English, Mathematics and Science will be needed. For those courses concerned with your creative development, the application or interview process will almost certainly involve some sort of portfolio of your work.

Portfolios for course interviews are usually rather different from those you will use in getting work. The first and most essential thing is to read any advice or instruction given in either the course leaflets or an invitation to interview. If you have any doubts about what you should take, ring up well in advance and ask.

In a course interview, the tutors will be interested to see how you work and develop your ideas rather than just the finished product, so a portfolio might include background research, sketches and proofs as well as final prints. They are looking for potential more than for professional competence - which is what the course should add.

BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER - Part 2

Part 2: Assess your abilities

You need to think about why you want to be a photographer and what area of photography you want to work in. There is quite a wide range of opportunities on offer - as you can see on the next page.

A good starting point is to think about the kind of person you are, your strengths and your weaknesses, likes and dislikes. The area of photography which will suit you will depend far more on these than on your current photographic skills or interests.

If you are in school or college you will probably be able to consult careers information provided there both in print and online, and this may include careers questionnaires. These can be very useful, but you will only get the most out of them if you think carefully about what they show about you. Some points you might consider that could be important in thinking about you as a photographer are:

*do you like meeting new people and get on well with them?
*are you inquisitive and good at asking questions?
*do you like travel?
*would you mind work with irregular hours that often meant you were away from home for days or weeks?
*are you good at explaining your ideas to people?
*would you be good at selling your ideas and your work?
*are you cautious or do you like to take risks?
*can you work carefully and reliably?
*do you cope well under pressure without making mistakes?
*are you quick to see new visual ideas and opportunities?
*do you like to work indoors or outdoor?

Fortunately you don't need to excel in every area to become a photographer -there are areas of work for example that don't involve travel or irregular hours, but you do need to think carefully about your capabilities.

You may also need to consider how any specific traits, conditions, beliefs or likes and dislikes might effect you. The fact I hate driving (I saw the ecological light and sold my last car over 30 years ago and have driven little since) rules out certain areas of work for me. A fellow student of mine years ago wanted to go into forensic photography, but only lasted a few days as he couldn't cope with photographing some of the gruesome scenes involved. Similarly, if you faint at the sight of blood you are probably not going to be able to be a medical photographer.

BECOMING A PHOTOGRAPHER - Part I

Part 1: How do you become a photographer?

This is the first in a new occasional series of features on About Photography, BASIC PHOTO. Basic Photo aims to give you the information and show how you can gain the skills you need to be a success as a photographer.

If you are new to photography and want to be a pro - or just a better photographer - then Basic Photo can help if. For those who are already experienced photographers, Basic Photo will help you take you work into new areas or improve on in. The real experts reading these features may like to email me with any corrections or suggestions for 'pro tips' and I'll add the best of these - with an acknowledgement of course.

Being a photographer can mean many different things. Anyone who picks up a camera and clicks the shutter is a photographer of sorts. More seriously, for most of us a photographer is someone who engages a considerable proportion of their life in photography. Most of the time people want to know how they can make a career out of something that at the moment is just an interest.
Many of us dream of becoming rich and famous, of having our work shown in great art galleries, splashed across the leading fashion magazines and in large on the newspaper front pages. While it is always a possibility that photography will make us a celebrity, reality tends to be more mundane.

Photography does however offer many people an interesting and fulfilling way to make a living. Many jobs in photography offer a considerable variety of experiences and the challenge of finding solutions to new problems. Many of those who set out to be photographers, including those who take photo courses, will end up making a living from other skills, but photographers will often continue to photograph and to think of themselves as photographers. Creativity is something we all need, and one way to explore it is through photography.

Photography is of course changing and many photography courses reflect this, both by incorporating such areas as video and digital technologies and also in some cases by a change of title, for example to 'lens-based' imaging. Although these new technologies have become a vital part of almost any photographer's toolkit, the still photograph - however produced - has retained its importance. The still image selects an instant from the flow, giving it an importance that is lost when we see twenty five frames a second. So long as good quality still images are needed, photographers will be needed to produce them.

Like most problems, the best way to start thinking about how to become a photographer is to break this into a number of simpler steps and try to see the answer to them. On the following pages I'll discuss the kinds of abilities you have, photography courses and the different areas of photography that might provide you with a living, .

Camera Parts and Functions ( Manual Camera)

A Short Vocabulary List

When using many of the automatic cameras today, many of the features listed below are obsolete. This list is provided for those students who are enthusiasts of the manual camera.

Lens - It draws the light into the camera and focuses it on the film plane.

Shutter - It open and closes to control the length of time light strikes the film. There are two types of shutters: a leaf shutter, located between or just behind the lens elements, and a focal plane shutter, located in front of the film plane.

Shutter Release - The button that releases or "trips" the shutter mechanism.
Film Advance Lever or Knob - It transports the film from one frame to the next on the roll of film.

Aperture - It dilates and contracts to control the diameter of the hole that the light passes though, to let in more or less light. It is controlled by the f-stop ring. (f/22, f/16, f/13, f/11, f/8, f/5.6, f/4.5, f/3.5, f/2.8, f/1.8 and f/1.4)

Viewfinder - The "window" through which you look to frame your picture.

Film Rewind KnobThis knob rewinds the film back into the film cassette.

Camera Body - The casing of the camera which holds the encloses the camera pats.

Flash Shoe - This is the point at which the flash or flash cube is mounted or attached.

Self-Timer - This mechanism trips the shutter after a short delay - usually 7 to 10 seconds - allowing everyone to be in the photograph.

Shutter Speed Control - This know controls the length of time the shutter remains open. Typical shutter speeds are measured in fractions of a second, such as: 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 1/500 and 1/1000 of a second.

(This article was a request of my friends from the Philippines)

Portrait Photography - Part 2

Portraiture

Truly good people pictures seldom happen all by themselves. They take planning. Even casual-looking people pictures are often planned. Some planning is purely technical, such as selecting equipment and lighting. Other planning may include choosing your subject's clothing, hairstyle, pose, and setting.

The hallmark of a portrait is that you take control and leave little to chance. Will a portrait simply be a flattering likeness or a glimpse into your subject's personality? When you know what you want to achieve, everything else should work toward that end: the setting, the clothing, the props, the pose, the lighting, the composition, and so on.
Consider these tips:

Use soft, diffused lighting—such as cloudy-day lighting or indirect window light—to reveal your subject's features in a flattering way.
Keep the background simple to avoid distracting elements, but make it relevant to the portrayal of your subject.

Move in close for an above-the-waist or head-and-shoulders composition; for a less traditional approach, move back to show the entire figure.
Position your camera at or slightly below your subject's eye level.
Pay particular attention to the position of hands and the angle of the head. In a portrait, hands and head can easily look awkward.

Portrait Photography - Part 1

(Photo taken during the Dubai Rugby Seven)

Seeing great pictures of people is the first step toward taking them. If you keep in mind our tried-and-true tips, you'll soon be taking outstanding pictures of the subjects most important to all of us—people in our lives.
When you follow the easy tips outlined here, your people pictures will become the talk of the family.

Groups Portraits
In general it's easier to take group pictures outdoors so if you have a choice, move everybody outside. If this isn't an option, then follow our suggestions for indoor group pictures.


Group Portrait of the Philipines Business Council -Dubai with Phil. Singer Bituin Escalante (in yellow)
Outdoors—Take your straightforward record picture of people arranged in rows. If sunny, position the group so the sun is lighting their faces. If cloudy, no special care is needed.
Consider using a car, a tree, or a swing set as a device for arranging your group.
Have the group strike up varied poses: some looking directly at the camera, others looking to the side; some standing, some holding onto something and leaning.
Try to create two or three different small arrangements within the bigger group. One or two loose triangles of three people each works well.
Use a plain background that doesn't distract from the group.

(Group Portrait of Tag Heuer France)

Indoors

Arrangement of indoor group pictures will be based on using a flash. Its limited range also limits your creativity.
Keep the group inside the maximum flash distance range.
Position the group so they are no more than two rows deep.

Self-portraits
Who knows you better than you? And who will be less embarrassed by you than you? And that's why a self-portrait may be the most fun and creative picture you'll ever take.
Unless you have very long arms, make sure you know how to use your camera's self timer. Or use your camera's close-up mode. Simply hold the camera and point it back at yourself.
If your camera has a zoom lens, use its wide-angle portion.
Be playful with the environment you photograph yourself in. In the car, at work, at the breakfast table, on the phone, or hugging the cat
Decide what you want to say about yourself: serious, introspective, playful, or lonely.


(Note: All The Photo used in this Article are property of the publisher)

Top Ten Beginning Photo Tips

1. Move in Closer.Each time you spot a subject, snap a shot and then move in closer for a better shot. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your photo. Also, details are often more interesting than an overall view Keep moving in closer until you are sure a 4 x 6 photo will successfully represent your subject. At the same time, it is a good idea to keep your distance from wild animals and the like; balance boldness with consideration and wisdom.

2. Be QuickIf it is at all possible that your subject may fly away, stop smiling, bolt, or just get tired of waiting for you to take the picture, shoot once right away. Practice getting quicker and quicker to the draw. Do not worry so much about taking "too many" pictures and do not wait until you're absolutely certain all the knobs and buttons are in their correct position. For a great example of the rewards that can be attained by being able to work quickly, check out how Ansel Adams got "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico."

3. Compose Your Picture with CareEven if you don't plan on selling your photo to the Smithsonian, make an effort to keep it balanced and beautiful; on one level or another, everyone responds better to a picture that has all elements in balance or that leads the eye along an interesting path through the photo. For starters:
Keep the horizon level;
Crop out extra elements that you are not interested in (more on this is the next tip);
Consciously place your subject where you think it most belongs rather than just accepting it wherever it happens to land in the photo;
Play with perspective so that all lines show a pattern or lead the eye to your main subject;
Work with the Rule of Thirds.

4. Be SelectiveDiscern what you are really interested in and center your efforts on getting the best photo of this subject, whether it is an animal, person, mood, culture, etc. Along these lines, be sure to keep anything that would distract out of the picture. You may not want to go as far as Ansel Adams did to remove unwanted elements, but you must be aware of the problem. The easiest way to do this is to watch your borders and recompose if something - such as an unattractive telephone wire, an old soda can, a distracting sign, or your finger - hangs into your picture. It becomes a bit more difficult and frustrating if you want to, say, shoot a San Francisco cable car without a single telephone line in the picture. Even in such a difficult case, though, you have many options.

You can:
Focus in on a close-up that tells the whole story;
Move around until you manage to get the telephone lines (or whatever) to make a neat pattern that leads to the subject; or
Take a panning shot so that, if you're successful, the cable car remains in focus while the background goes blurry.

5. Focus on your Subject Practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results from the lab to learn how depth-of-field effects your photo. You will find that a smaller depth-of-field (and smaller f-stop #) focuses all the attention upon your subject. This is great for taking a picture of your child, your dog, or your husband; subjects stand out against a blurry background. Likewise, you will find that a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will make everything from here to eternity appear in focus. This will help make those landscapes fascinating and lovely to look at.

6. Experiment with Shutter SpeedOne of the most basic, overlooked, and fun aspects of photography is that you have the power to slow time down or catch a split second. One image happens so slowly that we could never see it and the other happens so quickly in real time that we would never notice it. Play with shutter speed! Use a slow shutter speed and a tripod to make a pretty picture of any creek or stream. On the other hand, you can use a fast shutter speed (1/500 and up) to capture an object in motion. Combining a fast shutter speed with a long lens, you sports buffs can get a trophy of your own when you are able to catch the expression on your favorite runningback's face as he slips past the final defense toward a winning touchdown. Remember, catching the moment in fast-paced action photography may take a little more practice so - hang in there.

7. Look at the Light By this, I don't mean look into the sun; that won't do at all. But it is good to see what kind of light you are working with. Which way are the shadows falling? Unless you want a silhouette effect, where your subject is black against an interesting background, it's generally best to shoot with the sun behind you. How is the light affecting your subject? Is the subject squinting? Is the light blazing bright upon your whole subject? This works well if you are in love with the bold colors of your subject. Side lighting, on the other hand, can add drama but can also cause extreme, hard-to-print contrasts. Lastly, indirect light to make your subject glow soft and pretty.

8. Watch the Weather, TooLook outside and decide whether or not you are going to want to have the sky in your picture. If it's overcast, simply keep the sky out of your pictures as much as possible. This is usually the best way to avoid both muted tones in your subject and washed-out skies in your background. You might also find black and white pictures of an overcast day more pleasing than color. When the day is beautiful, go ahead and make the most of it. If your camera allows for the use of filters, purchase a polarizer. This will help you render deep blue skies against bright white clouds, richly contrasting colors, and other wonderful effects with a simple twist of the wrist.

9. Keep Your Camera Setting SimpleWhile you may wish to have "all the bells and whistles" available just in case, you will probably get the best results if you do not try to use them all the time and instead learn a simple set up that works best for you in most situations. This doesn't necessarily mean keeping your camera set on program; while this mode may be perfect in its simplicity, it may be frustrating in its tyrannical control. Instead of relying on a fully automatic program, pick a simple, semi-automatic program such as aperture-priority and master shooting in that mode. Then, you'll be able to control certain basics without letting the other basics control you, and thus keep that 150 page manual where it belongs - in your camera bag. Tip: if you want one accessory, bring a tripod. This one item can solve camera shake issues and help you get beautiful evening shots.

10. Be BoldDo not allow yourself to be paralyzed by fears of using the wrong settings, or an non-politically-correct social policy. If you are afraid of upsetting someone by taking their picture, just go up and ask if it's okay. Ask them to sign a release and offer a print in return. With wildlife, adopt a low-impact method when you go places where few photographers have gone before. In this photo, I put my camera and telephoto in a waterproof bag and kayaked out into the Monterey Bay. (This can be dangerous for you, your camera, and the otters - so be careful.) The telephoto lens allowed me to keep a distance from the otters and still get the image I wanted. Again, be wise... but be bold. There you have it - basic but helpful, I hope. Now go out there, make some great shots, learn from the failures, and have fun.