I WON the 63rd Week of the Filipino Blog of the Week !!!

At last after long battle on the blog sphere I won the 63rd Week of the Filipino Blog of the Week Poll hosted by our dear friend Talksmart The Composed Gentleman...

And here's my Award

63rd Week

To all bloggers who voted me. Thank you very much for all your time... And to OFWlayf thank you once again...

Digital Photography Tips - Background Part 2

Last July 3, 2007 I post regarding Background and leave a word to make experiment on it... Do you try it or not if not !!!
Here's another way to get a more diffusely blurred background is to use a lens with a long focal length such as the 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens used for the above Monster Buck picture. It will be much more difficult to blur a background with the 16-35mm f/2.8 Lens of Canon, 17 - 55mm f2.8 of Nikon or 17 - 35mm f2.8-4 lens of Sigma. All focal lengths yield the same depth of field when used at the same aperture setting and subject framing. But, the image compression a telephoto focal length provides magnifies the already blurred background. The result is a background that appears more diffusely blurred.


Shutter Speed 125/1 sec, f/2.8 using 70 - 200mm f/2.8 lens

Using a higher focal length has the additional advantage of including less background in your picture. A higher focal length lens has a smaller angle of view. Pretty simple - less background in your picture leaves less room for distraction. This may be a reason to choose the 180mm f/2.8 Macro Lens over the 100mm/105mm f2.8 Macro Lens. Again, less background in the picture reduces the chance of distractions.

Understanding your Camera Needs... What is the best Camera to Use?

Different cameras do have their strengths and weaknesses, and these will restrict your possibilities. But the most important restriction - and strength - is always your imagination.
Digital cameras are great for photographing people, not least because you will need to edit your results severely. Better to waste a few electrons than film.

SLR / DSLR Cameras

This is the camera type most widely used by professional photographers because of its flexibility.

Advantages

Accurate viewing and framing. You see from exactly the same viewpoint as the picture is taken - no 'parallax error' Most SLR / DSLR cameras show slightly less than appears on film
Interchangeable lenses give more flexibility and different perspectives
Generally have wide range of shutter speeds and apertures
Modern cameras are highly automated, giving good exposures without much thought.
Auto focus cameras are especially useful with longer focal length lenses.
Dedicated flash units can give accurate flash exposures automatically.

Disadvantages

Generally quite large, so you have more to carry around
Camera size makes them and you quite conspicuous
Shutter and mirror noise can be obtrusive
Time between pressing shutter release and taking picture can be around 30-50ms (longer if camera auto-focuses during this time.).
Viewfinder blacks out briefly while picture is taken

Rangefinder cameras

Used by professionals before the SLR became common in the 1970s, and still preferred by some for covering rapid action. The Leica M series are expensive, but more affordable Konica and Voigtlander models have led to renewed interest.

Advantages

Smaller, quieter and generally less conspicuous than SLR cameras.
Clear viewfinder image with bright line frame enabling areas around subject to be seen, which remains visible during exposure.
Very short lag (usually less than 30ms) between pressing release and exposure.

Disadvantages

Viewfinder is above and to the left of taking lens - has a slightly different view to what appears on film. (parallax error)
Not suitable for long telephoto lens (90mm is about the practical limit)
Generally limited automation - some have auto exposure.
Framing less accurate (still good on most models.)

Compact cameras

Commonly used by amateur photographers, although many professionals carry one in a pocket for when they don't have their full outfit with them.

Advantages

Unobtrusive and in common use; usually quiet.
Zoom lenses generally cover the most useful range for photographing people.
Relatively cheap.
Usually highly automated - exposure, focus, film wind etc

Disadvantages

Extended lag between pressing release and taking picture (often > 500ms)
Built in flash mainly useful in bright light for fill in, gives poor results in low light.

Other types

Many photographers in the middle of the twentieth century preferred the twin lens reflex camera, usually taking 120 film, and used from waist level. Rather than making eye contact with the subject through the pointing lens and viewfinder of the camera, they bowed down in front of it, peering into a box held firmly against their gut.

These cameras, particularly the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord, were quiet and unobtrusive to use, and their large negative allowed for considerable cropping. A few photographers still like to work this way.

Transformers the Movie

Who could ever forget the transformers (Cartoon) during our childhood... I'll never forget them... the Autobots and Decepticons!!!, Watch this trailer to understand why lots of people are very interested to see the movie TRANSFORMERS.. (including myself)..




So what are you waiting for, today 4th of July ....!!!!

Digital Photography Tips - The Background Part 1

When taking pictures, we concentrate intently on our subjects - but what about the background? Upon later inspection of our photos, we often find the background detracting from an otherwise great shot.

Taking control of the background can help turn a snapshot into a beautiful photo.

The first step to improving the backgrounds in our photos is to be conscious of the background's importance to our photos. We must know that the right backgrounds can make our shots stand out. This often means simply paying attention to what is behind out subjects during our photography sessions.

Unfortunately, the complete solution is not nearly as simple. The normal goal is to keep the subject as the center of interest in a picture (not to be confused with the center of a picture). Your eye should be drawn to the subject in the final image, and the background must not be distracting from the subject. Shots must be setup to take advantage of a clean or pleasing background.



First suggestion is to utilize your lens to throw the background out of focus. The depth of field (amount of in-focus distance) in your picture needs to be reduced enough so that the subject is sharp and the background is blurred. Notice how the Sun Flower stands out against its background in the above picture. There are no distractions. A combination of factors allows your lens to accomplish this task.

How to get this , first, open the aperture wide. All other factors being identical, a wider the aperture yields a shorter depth of field. How wide? Experience is the best teacher here. The above picture was taken at f/5.6. Try make an Experiment!