Keep an eye on the weather
Weather conditions can play a big part in setting the mood of your shot. Rather than waiting for the bright light of the midday sun, a misty morning in a forest can be the perfect time of day for that mood-shot.

Take your time to choose the subject
Take your time to choose the subject, then spend time walking around the subject looking for the best angle and lighting.

Take your time to set up the shot
Don’t be afraid to take your time to set up your shot. Although it can get a bit frustrating if you have your loved ones tagging along and they’re sitting and waiting impatiently for 20 minutes for you to take a single shot of a piece of driftwood on the beach!

Don’t always choose brightly-coloured subjects
Subjects with muted colours can sometimes produce excellent results. A field of wheat of similar yellow-brown colour can produce striking results when accompanied by a low-sun and long shadows.

Movement diffusion
If you have a camera that allows you to shoot with a manual shutter speed - try slowing the speed and increasing the F-stop. Then move your camera when taking the shot. Some very effective arty-type images can be produced with blur effects.

Overexpose your subject
Not too good to do all the time, but experiment with results by over-exposing the subject.

Try macro photography
Grab a magnifying glass and see if you can focus your camera through the glass onto a small subject. It just may work! And may open up a whole new range of subjects for you!

Shoot through wet glass
Try spraying water onto a window, then take a shot through the window to a subject outside. (wet the outside of the window - not the inside of your home!)

Colour balance
Try balancing colour by having subject and the surrounding detail in similar colours.

Silhouettes
Silhouettes usually have a small range of colours, but can produce some of the most beautiful images. Shooting a silhouette involves having the background brighter then the subject in the foreground.

Experiment with patterns
We’ve all seen those amazing images of the red and orange leaves of maple trees in the fall/autumn. Thousands of leaves - all of a similar shape and colour - but very awe-inspiring and beautiful.

Compliment colours
Two strikingly-different colours can be beautiful too. Picture an image of your girlfriend or wife in a red dress sitting on a field of green grass. Or your boyfriend or husband in a red shirt walking through a field of waist-high wheat stalks. Complimentary colours that will bring more attention to the subject.

Use a colour filter
If your camera can be fitted with coloured filters - try your hand. Although this effect can be made quite easily these days with photo and image-editing software.

Sunrise is better than sunset
Wake up before sunrise one day and go on a photography expedition. If you’ve not done it before you’ll be pleasantly-surprised by the contrasting light and shadows. But remember you’ll only have a very short window of time in which to shoot (usually less than an hour) before the sun rises too high and you lose the light.

Use a flash in daylight
Use your flash during the daytime to fill a close subject with light. This will produce better results where the background is brighter than your subject and the automatic shutter speed on your camera shoots too fast to effectively show the detail of your subject.

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Few families would consider leaving home for a vacation these days without reliable, high-quality digital imaging equipment-whether it’s a camera or a camcorder.

Here are some tips from the experts at Canon to help you make the most of memorable vacation moments:

Always be prepared: Don’t forget to bring backup camera batteries or memory cards so you’ll never miss a shot.

Creativity is key: Sunsets and mountain ranges are always great backdrops for family pictures. By using your surroundings in interesting ways, you’ll be able to create images featuring an array of natural color and light while showcasing your happy family.

Share the fun: Take turns and let others control the lens for a while. A camcorder such as the Canon DC40 DVD Camcorder is so easy to use that anyone in the family can take great video. The camcorder records direct to DVD, is compact and takes high-resolution, 4-Megapixel digital photos.

Strike a pose-No!: Candid shots of family members can capture their personalities much better than carefully orchestrated photographs.

Don’t be afraid: Take your PowerShot SD600 Digital ELPH camera with you on a scuba diving adventure. The 6-Megapixel camera has a 16:9 widescreen mode for full-screen viewing on widescreen TVs and computer monitors, and is the right size for taking along on any deep-sea adventure.

Use the WPDC40 underwater camera case (to depths of 130 feet) to protect the camera and snap pictures in the surf.

Hello from abroad: Print and send photos before you even get home: The SELPHY CP510 photo printer is small enough to pack in your suitcase and lets you print pictures in under a minute. And the paper used for printing photos doubles as a postcard! How’s that for multitasking?

Pack lightly: Hybrid digital products such as the PowerShot S3 IS let you capture still photographs and high-quality video. The 6-Megapixel camera has a 12x optical zoom lens, image stabilization technology for steady shots, a "movie snap" feature that lets you take still images while shooting movies, a widescreen mode for full-screen viewing and still leaves plenty of room for any souvenirs you might want to bring home.

Hybrid digital products can take photo stills and shoot movies without taking up too much space in your luggage.

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Photography is an art, and therefore there are no set rules for getting the perfect pictures. The following tips, however, will help to improve your photographic style, experiment, and get great pictures on a regular basis. Whether your subject is a child, a pet, or nature, try some of these tips on your next photographic foray.

1. Get on Their Level – With a live subject it is important to get at eye-level before taking the shot. For children and pets this may mean kneeling, squatting, sitting or even lying down to get on the same level as your subject. While it is fun to experiment with different angles, you will have much greater success if you look your subject in the eye.

2. Fill out the Frame – Photographs are more powerful and interesting if the subject fills out the frame. Many photographers make the mistake of being too far from the subject. It is best to zoom in close enough the that the subject reaches or goes just beyond the edges of the photo frame in your view finder. This allows the viewer to see more detail and expression, and prevents the background from taking over the photograph.

3. Get a Little Closer – When you think your shot is set, try taking a few steps closer. Get in closer to your subject will show detail and emotion that add interest to your photographs.

4. Simple backdrop – When photographing a specific subject be aware of what is going on behind them. You want to choose a backdrop that will not distract or obscure the look of the subject. Choose plain color background or simple natural greenery with few accents to really highlight your subject.

5. Use the Flash – Most people think that outdoor photos never require the use of a flash, but that is not the case. When the sun is at its brightest, can be the time when it casts the most shadow. Adding a flash on an already sunny day can even-out the shadows cast by wrinkles, strange angles, or other people. Just make sure that your camera flash is close enough to the subject to be effective.

6. Watch the Light — Light is one of the most important factors in photo taking. When you get ready to take a shot, pause for a moment to take accounting of where the sun is and what shadows may be obscuring the view. You don’t want your subject squinting into the sun, nor do you want the light so bright behind them that it makes the subject look dark in comparison.

7. Go Vertical – Don’t get stuck in a rut. Many pictures would look better if you just turned them vertically. There are certain subjects that lend themselves to a vertical framing such as lighthouses, the Eiffel tower, or a beautiful tree. Try going vertical with some less likely subjects to see the difference it will make.

8. Get out of the Middle – Another common mistake photographers make is to put the subject of the photograph directly in the middle of the frame. This technique is usually not the most pleasing to the eye. Instead shift your subject to one of the four corners of the frame so that it is prominent, but not center stage.

9. Steady does it – Make sure the camera is steady when you are taking photos. A steady camera will prevent a blurry photo. If you are not the best at holding steady consider using a tripod to get a clear shot.

10. Shoot Away – If you really want to get better pictures, take more pictures, more frequently. With a digital camera it is no longer a waste to snap away. Feel free to take a lot of photos of the same subject, just varying the angle, lighting, or backdrop. Experimenting will allow you to find the tricks that work best for you, and will ensure that you will have at least a few great shots of each subject.

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Every owner of an interchangeable-lens camera is faced with the pleasant dilemma of picking the most appropriate lenses to buy, then deciding which to use. However, there are no rules to go by; much depends on your personal style and what you already own. To help you decide which lenses to buy and how best to use them, we offer the following.

Normal lenses: Today, many 35mm photographers opt for a short zoom instead of a 50mm, but both have their virtues. If you need a fast, general-purpose lens in the f/1.4-f/2 range for available-light work, nothing can beat a 50mm. Positives: Usually more compact, lighter than a short zoom; often less costly; generally very sharp; provides brighter viewing image. Negatives: No zooming; you must compose by moving the camera.
Short zooms offer framing flexibility, often in a package not much larger than a 50mm lens. A 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 is usually the smallest and least expensive, but a 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 is more useful for shooting interiors, vistas, and cramped quarters because it gets down to 28mm. If you shoot portraits, nature, or sports at close range, consider a compact 35-105mm or a 35-135mm zoom. Normal zoom positives: Equivalent to two or more single focal length lenses in a handy, responsive package, it provides intermediate focal lengths; there’s less need to switch lenses. Normal zoom negatives: Moderate aperture (typically f/3.5-4.5) limits low-light shooting and focusing precision with manual focus, affects viewing brightness. Zooms tend to be larger, heavier, more expensive than 50mm lenses.

Wide-angle lenses: They range from 24mm (bordering on ultrawide) to 35mm (bordering on semiwide). As with normals, the choice is between very compact, single-focal-length lenses of relatively wide aperture (f/2-f/2.8, a few f/1.4s) and moderate-aperture zooms (around f/3.5-4.5), which provide superior framing flexibility. For positives and negatives on both types, see normal-lens section above.
Many wide zooms, such as 24-50mm, 25-50mm, 28-50mm, etc., encompass normal as well as wide-angle focal lengths, which is an advantage. A few (for example, 21-35mm, 18-28mm) combine ultrawide (21mm and below) and wide focal lengths (see ultrawide section below). Many are not much larger or heavier than a 50mm. Although 25-50mm or 21 -35mm may not sound as impressive, it’s the zoom ratio (long divided by short focal length) that counts. If you need a really fast wide-angle (for example, 35mm f/1.4, 28mm f/2, 24mm f/2) for available light or shooting handheld with slow film, stick to single focal lengths.

Ultrawide-angle lenses: With focal lengths of 21mm and below in 35mm format, they provide extreme angular coverage of 90 degrees or more. Positives: Ultrawides, by virtue of low image magnification, provide great depth of field; more likely to yield sharp-looking images when handheld at slow shutter speeds. Excellent for expanding tight interior spaces, capturing vistas; for intimate photojournalism, street photography. Negatives: Apparent perspective distortion, though useful for dramatic or comic effects, is problematic in portraiture. Avoid placing subjects near edges of the frame or prominent features, such as noses, in the foreground.

Medium tele lenses: Sometimes called portrait lenses, these optics in the 85-135mm range are fine for portraiture, minimize apparent perspective distortion, and provide convenient working distance when shooting faces close up. Many tele zooms work well in this range, but they’re heavier, longer, and slower than single focal length lenses. If you shoot a large percentage of portraits, you should consider getting an 85mm f/2, 100mm f/2, or 105mm f/2.5, even if you own a tele. Positives: They allow discreet photography of people without the perspective-flattening effect of long teles; single focal length type combines fast aperture, bright viewing image, good image quality. Negative: For zooms, see above; for single focal length, fairly specialized.

Long tele lenses: Traditionally, any lens over 135mm for 35mm photography is a long tele. Today, the most popular by far are zooms in the 80-200mm or 70-210mm range. Unless you need a lens that’s very fast and very long (such as the optically superb but large, heavy, and very expensive 300mm and 400mm f/2.8s used by professional sports photographers), a tele zoom is the most flexible and economical choice. For many photographers, a 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 (especially one with macro) is the only long tele they’ll need. Positives: Reasonable size, weight, and price, wide range of uses—nature, sports, people, portraits, scenics. Negatives: Moderate and variable aperture; mediocre performance unless stopped way down. A number of suprisingly compact 100-300mm f/5.6s are now offered for those who need a bit more reach, and there are a few fine 200-500mm f/5.6s for those who need really long teles for such things as long-distance sports close-ups. Long tele zoom negatives: larger size and weight.

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What is an aspect ratio?

Every photo or movie has an attribute called an Aspect Ratio. The aspect ratio is the relation between the horizontal and vertical sizes of the photo. To calculate the aspect ratio simple divide the width or a photo by its height. For example TV in normal mode has an aspect ratio of 4:3 or in other words if we were to divide the width of the screen by its height the result would be 4/3. TV in widescreen format on the other hand has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

When we take a photo with a camera light that travels through the lenses hits a sensor (a film in traditional cameras or a CCD in digital ones). The sensor in turn translates the light into a two dimensional photo. The sensor itself has physical attributes such as width, height, granularity (in films) and number of pixels (in digital CCD sensors).

The connection between an aspect ratio and photo printing

When photos are printed on paper the aspect ratio of the paper must be the same as the aspect ratio of the sensor that was used to take the photo. If the aspect ratios are different the result will be a blank area left on the paper or a stretched photo that fits the paper but distorts the objects in it.

Why does it happen? The answer is pretty simple. For the sake of explanation lets assume a photo sensor that is 6 inches wide and 4 inches high (real sensors are much smaller). Lets assume that we are trying to print the a photo taken with that sensor on a paper that is 4 inches high. If the paper width would be less than 6 inches we will have to crop part of the photo since there won’t be enough space available on the paper. If the paper width is more than 6 inches we will have to leave a blank area on the paper since we do not have “enough photo” to print on more than 6 inches. If we want our photo to exactly fit the page we can stretch or shrink the photo horizontally to whatever the paper size is – but then the objects in the print will be distorted and look more fat or thin as they were in real life.

Printing on a 4X6 paper

One of the most common paper sizes is 4X6. This size was used for many years for printing photos taken with traditional film cameras. The traditional film had an aspect ratio of 3:2 and thus the photos taken with a traditional film camera would fit perfectly on a 4X6 papers.

For reasons beyond the scope of this article digital cameras use sensors with a different aspect ratio than tradition film cameras. The following table summarizes popular image sizes in pixels and the respective aspect ratio (sensor pixels, width X height and aspect ratio):

2 MP – 1600 X 1200 – aspect ratio 4:3<br>
3 MP – 2048 X 1536 – aspect ratio 4:3<br>
4 MP – 2272 X 1704 – aspect ratio 4:3<br>
5 MP – 2592 X 1944 – aspect ratio 4:3<br>
6 MP – 2816 X 2112 – aspect ratio 4:3<br>
8 MP – 3200 X 2400 – aspect ratio 4:3

As can be seen digital sensors, regardless of the number of pixels they support have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

So what happens when we try to fit a digital photo on a 4X6 paper? The photo just doesn’t fit! it is either too wide or too high. For example if we want to print on the full 4 inches height we will only fill 51/3 inches (4X51/3 is a 4:3 aspect ratio) and 2/3 inches will be left blank.

To solve this problem and use the full paper size many printing services allow the user to crop a part of the photo. The assumption is that instead of leaving a blank area on the print the user would prefer to cut a part of the photo that is not important and use the whole paper for the rest. Some services allow the users to choose a preference for either cropping the photo or leaving a blank area on the print and this preference is automatically applied to all his prints.

What is a 4XD paper?

In light of the popularity of digital cameras and digital prints many printing services are introducing paper sizes that are designed for digital prints. This means that the aspect ratio of the paper they offer is 4:3 and thus photos taken with digital cameras perfectly fit the paper.

The new digital compatible paper sizes have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (the digital sensor aspect ratio) and are as close as possible to their traditional film paper sizes. So – in the digital world a 4X6 paper size will actually become a 4X5 1/3 (a 4:3 aspect ratio paper size that is as close as possible to a 4X6 size).

As a marketing gimmick and instead of writing exact paper sizes many use the “digital” abbreviation of 4XD – which means 4XDigital or in other words “as close as we could make it to 4X6 that is digital camera aspect ratio compatible”.

As digital cameras become more and more popular it is expected that more papers sizes which are digital camera compatible will be introduced. In a few years from now most printing services will support the digital paper size by default and the film compatible one will be the exception.

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