Picture Frames Photo Information DSLR Camera Guide | DSLR Camera Guide |
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The USB Connector (Universal Serial Bus) port allows you to connect the camera to a computer, so that you can download your photographs. The image you see in the camera viewfinder is that which will be captured with the widest aperture. Since a smaller aperture increases image sharpness there is a discrepancy between the sharpness seen in the viewfinder and in the final photo. The Depth-of-Field button allows you to see how much of the image will be in focus when you take your shot. The Accessory Shoe or Hotshoe is usually used for attaching a flashgun to the camera. It can also be used to attach a wireless trigger for studio flash lighting. And for the very fussy photographer, a spirit level can be attached to ensure a perfectly straight horizon in a landscape photo. The menu button gives you access to the set-up, shooting and playback menus. You'll find sub-menus galore, so you'll need to spend some time finding your way around.The LCD Display is common to all DSLR's. This is where you scroll through the menus and view your shots. Until mid 2008, no DSLR camera offered a live-view mode, which is standard in compact cameras. Now live-view is appearing in DSLR cameras. The Playback button lets you scroll through your images. You can zoom in and out by using the Playback Zoom buttons. The Viewfinder is what you look through when composing your images. You will see an illuminated exposure scale, aperture and shutter speed settings as you look through the viewfinder. The controller is usually a group of four buttons enabling you navigate menus and scroll through images when in playback mode. The Mode Dial consists of basic exposure modes. We call them PASM, for Program, Aperture priority, Shutter, and Manual. There are also additional 'Scene Modes' available, such as Landscape, Portrait, Night, and Close-up, but these are normally removed on semi-pro dslr cameras. Figure 3 shows the top view of a typical dslr camera. The lens mount is a bayonet-fit with each manufacturer adopting their own unique fit for their own lenses. This means, for example, that you can't fit a Sony Carl Zeiss alpha mount lens onto a Nikon camera and vice-versa. There are, however, lens manufacturers that produce good quality lenses that come with lens mounts specially made for the different cameras available.The built-in flash is a small pop-up flash that is only useful for illuminating objects at short range. If you need a more powerful flash then a flash gun can be fitted to the accessory shoe. A light press on the shutter-release button activates the camera's auto-focus and metering. Usually a sound is heard when the selected point in the image is in focus. You then press the shutter-release button all the way down to take the picture. The drive button allows you to use continuous shooting, the self-timer, and bracketing. Bracketing is shooting three images with exposure shifted. Some cameras have a function dial. With this you can set the focus frame, the auto-focus mode, the metering mode, the color mode, etc.
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| Canvas Printing |
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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. |
| Art Prints – How are they made? |
 Photography by Laurie Barone-Shafer 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 |
| Learning to Paint Watercolors |
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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. |