Digital photography can be a great way to capture images of the world around you. Digital cameras are improving each day, giving even an amateur photographer a way to take amazing photos. However without proper lighting, the best camera will still create sub-par images. Making use of the best lighting techniques will help anyone create the best pictures they can.
Many bad photos can be made better though the use of digital manipulation software. However there are still some things that cannot be fixed. Blurred images, indistinguishable characteristics, and dark shadows can be avoided by getting your digital photography lighting right before you take the photo. Take time to think about the lighting condition you have and make the best use of them before you take a single picture.
Our photo experts here at Hampton Photo Arts in Bridgehampton have come up with some basic tips to remember when dealing with digital photography lighting through out the day.
Those who have only used a point and shoot in the past are now turning to DSLR cameras to get more control over the quality of their photos. Still, without proper knowledge of your camera, you won’t be able to unlock the full capability of it. The most common error that photographers make is either overexposing or underexposing their pictures. With DSLR cameras becoming more user friendly, you will find that it’s easy to manually control the exposure of your photos.
It doesn’t take a trained eye to notice when a photo is over or underexposed. Just about anyone can see these faux pas. In photography, exposure refers to the amount of light that is captured by a camera. When too much light is let through the lens, it creates an overexposed photo that appears washed out. When a photo is underexposed, it will appear too dark and its detail will be lost in the shadowed areas. The goal of the photographer is to find just the right amount of light to achieve the proper exposure.
Compact Cameras are great, their small size makes them more portable than DSLRs and their relatively low cost makes them accessible to a wide range of costumers. While most people will use their compact cameras to document family trips and take snapshots of their friends, smaller cameras still offer enough control over their settings to allow users to take creative and beautiful photographs.
Most compact cameras do come with built in shooting modes to make sure you take the best picture possible. Your camera's Macro Mode setting will allow you to take great close up photos. This mode is perfect for taking close up pictures of flowers, insects or other small objects because it allows the camera to focus in on fine details. If your subject is a bit larger, however, you may want to use your camera's Landscape Mode to make sure you focus in on details that are a good distance away. The Low Light setting on your camera will allow you to take great photos indoors and at night while it’s Portrait Mode will use the best settings for a picture of your friend. Even though compact cameras come with built in shooting modes their versatility doesn't end there.
With so many digital camera options on the market today, how do you know which to buy? How do you choose what is the right digital camera for you?
The first step in choosing the best digital camera for you is determining what you expect the camera to do for you and what you expect to be able to do with the camera. That question is answered by knowing what type of photographer you really are.
Perhaps you are the “social” photographer who wants basic point and shoot capabilities to capture those candid moments of social gatherings and family events. Perhaps you are the “weekend” photographer who likes to explore the great outdoors for breathtaking wildlife and scenic views who needs the ability to manually adjust f-stops and shutter speeds. Or perhaps you are the “sports” photographer who needs to capture fast and continuous action with precision and clarity.
Does this sound familiar? You’ve taken a lot of beautiful digital photos, but you don’t know how to make quality prints? If you’re ordering the photos from Hampton Photo Arts in Bridgehampton to be printed, then that’s good and ensures you the best possabile print. But if you’re printing them yourself using a home printer, it helps to know some tips and tricks. Here we will show you some of the best practices in printing digital photos.
Tip 1: Good Pictures Give Good Prints This tip is pretty obvious. If you’ve taken photo at a measly 1 megapixel resolution, you can’t expect to have a huge A4 quality printout. If you’ve taken the same photo at a 5 megapixel resolution, then yes, you can have that A4 print. As a rule, remember that you need at least a 2 megapixel resolution photo to have a decent 4x6 printout.
Lens Care The lens of your digital camera is its eye or window to the outside world. It is easily the most important component in any camera. To take care of the lens, make sure that you never, ever touch directly with your fingers. Also make sure that you put on the lens cap when not shooting pictures.
If you really need to clean the lens, use good lens cleaning equipment. Investing in such equipment is really important. Always use a good lens brush, lens blower and lens cloth to do the job.
Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own.
Nowadays just about anyone can take a good quality photographs with a digital camera. Or take a few hundred pictures and the chances are few will be good, and even one or two outstanding.
Here are a few tips, tricks and techniques on how to make art print poster ready photographs and print ready digital files. Don’t get overwhelmed, there is a lot of information here, but a lot of it is just intuitive. Well, a bit of patience will always help.
First thing – Photo Size
If you taking a digital photo of you family or friend the largest size you would print is usually 5 by 7 inches, maybe 8 by 10 at the most. Even small size digital photographs (2MB or less) are ‘good enough’ to create a decent print. But if you want to create prints that are 16 by 20, 20 by 24 inches or larger you need more pixels (in pixels 20 by 24 inches photo is actually about 40 times larger than 3 by 4 inches photo assuming they have the same resolution).
Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.
Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.
Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.
Photo and Art Information 
Digital photography can be a great way to capture images of the world around you. 
Compact Cameras are great, their small size makes them more portable than DSLRs and their relatively low cost makes them accessible to a wide range of costumers. While most people will use their compact cameras to document family trips and take snapshots of their friends, smaller cameras still offer enough control over their settings to allow users to take creative and beautiful photographs.
With so many digital camera options on the market today, how do you know which to buy? How do you choose what is the right digital camera for you?
Does this sound familiar? You’ve taken a lot of beautiful 