By Christina VanGinkel
If you are like the average budding photographer, your camera will occasionally sit for periods unused. This could be a matter of a few days, or even weeks or months, depending on your lifestyle and work commitments. Then, when the mood strikes to get out there and snap some photos, you end up wasting valuable time reacquainting yourself with the camera's controls and functions. I know I do anyhow. My newest camera, a Konika Minolta DiMage Z5, has so many buttons and settings, that I have never even taken the time to understand them all, let alone remember what they each do. I am also a beginning photographer in the truest sense of the word, so I need help with the most basic of settings.
I have been trying to overcome these limitations by heading out with my camera and manual every chance I get. If I am taking a walk, it comes along. If I am taking my son to a football practice or game, I have it with. A ride in the truck to look for a deer post for my husband, followed by a trek through the woods, they are with me. The manual that came with the camera is not very large physically, but I made it even smaller and more portable by taking out the pages that are wrote in different languages, leaving only the English version intact. Surprisingly, it made an already portable manual even more so. It now slips easily into my coat pocket or the back pocket on my jeans.
I also have gotten into the habit of snapping shots of all sorts of things. Acorns piled on the ground, leaves falling from trees, a deer off in the distance. At my son's football games, I snap photos not only of the playing field and the kids in action, but also of the school buildings next to the field, a rainbow after a brief shower, young children rolling down a hillside next to the field, a stray dog even. Nothing that catches my eye is given a second thought, I just take the photograph, preview it, pull out my manual if I think the camera might need adjusting, and after changing a setting or two, snap another shot.
Some of the photographs I have taken are good for nothing more than the delete button. Others like the one I snapped of my grandson at our local County Fair, are worthy of center stage. His back to me as he stood on the rail of a carnival game, to get his little two-year-old arm close enough to throw a dart at a balloon, is perfect as I could ever imagine in both composition and lighting. Before becoming determined to learn how to use this camera to all of its abilities, I would never even have attempted a shot in the fading light of the day as I did. When I think of all the shots I have missed through the years because I was afraid to press the shoot button for fear of wasting film, I am reminded how fortunate I am to have such a thing as a digital camera at my beck and call. Do not let yours go to waste sitting on a shelf or in the back of a closet. Pull it out, grab that manual, and snap away. It is not as difficult as it looks, and delete is the easiest button to use.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Put Together a Slide Show!
When you mention the words "slide show" to other people, their eyes will probably glaze over with the anticipated boredom that they think you're going to subject them to. Indeed, over the years, slide shows have become nothing more than bad cliches that conjure up memories of having to sit through long, drawn-out viewings of vacation photos from your neighbors and family. You might even recall trying desperately to stay awake during biology or history slide shows at school.
You had good reason not to get overly excited at the prospect of a slide show. In those days, slide projectors were small units with a rotating carousel slide holder that projected images on the screen or on the wall. They didn't do anything else at all. In fact, the most entertaining thing you could hope for was to have a slide appear upside down or out of order. In order for the audience to know what was going on in the picture, someone would have to narrate. This would of course lead to long-winded rants from your Uncle Ralph about how bad the service was at that hotel and how he will never stay there again as long as he lives.
But that was then. Now, there are a couple of different ways you can make slide shows more interesting than they ever were in the past. The advent of digital camera technology as well as sophisticated yet user-friendly computer software programs allows you to create slide shows that are fun to watch and that your viewers will actually enjoy.
The easiest way, by far, to set up a slide show is to hook your digital camera up to your television set. What? You didn't know that you could do that? Well, you can. Most digital cameras these days come with a set of AV cables that allows you to plug them directly into your TV. Then you can scroll through your pictures and view them on your television set. This is great for sharing pictures with a large group of people, or if you just want to see bigger versions of the photos you took. Of course, there aren't any sound effects here, either, so this is not any more sophisticated than the old-fashioned slide shows that I mentioned earlier. Let's move on.
Another fairly easy way to create a slide show is to use PowerPoint. PowerPoint is already installed in most newer computers, so even if you've never used it, chances are that you have it available. It's very easy to embed your digital photos into PowerPoint slides. This software also has tons of features that allow you to jazz up your slide show in nearly any conceivable way. Do you want to give your slide show a cool soundtrack? No problem. You can add sound clips with just a couple of clicks of your mouse. You can also use various transition and animation effects to give your slides even more life. You can also add captions right there on the slide, so there's no need to narrate, either.
Sharing a PowerPoint slide show is a breeze. You can either e-mail it, post it to your website, or hook your laptop up to a projector. Whichever way you do so, you'll find that the software is powerful enough to let your imagination run free.
The next time you want to share vacation photos, consider putting on a slide show. Today's technology allows you to make it as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
You had good reason not to get overly excited at the prospect of a slide show. In those days, slide projectors were small units with a rotating carousel slide holder that projected images on the screen or on the wall. They didn't do anything else at all. In fact, the most entertaining thing you could hope for was to have a slide appear upside down or out of order. In order for the audience to know what was going on in the picture, someone would have to narrate. This would of course lead to long-winded rants from your Uncle Ralph about how bad the service was at that hotel and how he will never stay there again as long as he lives.
But that was then. Now, there are a couple of different ways you can make slide shows more interesting than they ever were in the past. The advent of digital camera technology as well as sophisticated yet user-friendly computer software programs allows you to create slide shows that are fun to watch and that your viewers will actually enjoy.
The easiest way, by far, to set up a slide show is to hook your digital camera up to your television set. What? You didn't know that you could do that? Well, you can. Most digital cameras these days come with a set of AV cables that allows you to plug them directly into your TV. Then you can scroll through your pictures and view them on your television set. This is great for sharing pictures with a large group of people, or if you just want to see bigger versions of the photos you took. Of course, there aren't any sound effects here, either, so this is not any more sophisticated than the old-fashioned slide shows that I mentioned earlier. Let's move on.
Another fairly easy way to create a slide show is to use PowerPoint. PowerPoint is already installed in most newer computers, so even if you've never used it, chances are that you have it available. It's very easy to embed your digital photos into PowerPoint slides. This software also has tons of features that allow you to jazz up your slide show in nearly any conceivable way. Do you want to give your slide show a cool soundtrack? No problem. You can add sound clips with just a couple of clicks of your mouse. You can also use various transition and animation effects to give your slides even more life. You can also add captions right there on the slide, so there's no need to narrate, either.
Sharing a PowerPoint slide show is a breeze. You can either e-mail it, post it to your website, or hook your laptop up to a projector. Whichever way you do so, you'll find that the software is powerful enough to let your imagination run free.
The next time you want to share vacation photos, consider putting on a slide show. Today's technology allows you to make it as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Handcrafted Photo Calendars as Gifts
By Christina VanGinkel
With the holidays once again just around the corner, projects that put to use items we already own, and that are things the gift recipient can actually use, are always in demand. A photo calendar is just such a project. With effort put towards the choice of photographs, a photo printer, or photographs in the needed size, along with a standard inkjet printer, a stapler, adhesive, and a selection of cardstock, you can create a fantastic calendar that will result in family members asking you to create new ones each holiday season.
Begin by choosing between twelve and thirteen pictures for your calendar. One for each month, and either a thirteenth for the cover, or decide on which month's choice will be duplicated. Photo choices could include a variety of subjects, such as different family members, or be focused on one person, such as a grandchild for a doting set of grandparents. For extended family, consider photos from a family reunion, or a shared family vacation. Pets are also good choices for photographs, or even favorite landscapes. One young man I know that is a budding photographer shares his favorite photos from the past year that include everything from nature snapshots to landscapes.
If you absolutely cannot choose only twelve or thirteen snapshots, consider a variety of layouts for each month. You could use a split page on some, so you actually have two or even four photographs on one page, though this works best when the photos are related in some way. One or two pages could also be a random collection of photos. This is a great way to include a wide variety of snapshots when you are going to be passing the finished calendars out to extended members of your family. Everyone will get a kick out of looking through the individual collages to find themselves and loved ones. Feel free to spice up the photographs with borders and text. Try different media output such as black and white, sepia tone, even try hand coloring a few for a more personalized output.
Next, choose a software program to layout your calendar. Most graphic programs or general programs such as Microsoft Works all have calendar options that include personalization with dates and photographs. Pick a program that you are comfortable working in. If you end up spending an enormous amount of time trying to figure out adding text to the calendar squares, for example, you may end up giving up before you ever really get started. Gather your dates that will be included, and double check dates, even those you think you know. The calendar should be a reliable source of information for those who will receive it. Consider traditional dates such as birthdays and anniversaries, along with special dates such as family reunions. Once everything is typed and printed, attach your photographs to the calendar by using a quality adhesive, unless they were printed digitally and directly to the calendars via your printer. If needed, staple calendars on the fold lines to complete the assembly of each.
Given as gifts, these calendars will be both the highlight of your gift giving and of those fortunate to receive them. Be prepared to redo these calendars each year with updated information and brand new photographs.
With the holidays once again just around the corner, projects that put to use items we already own, and that are things the gift recipient can actually use, are always in demand. A photo calendar is just such a project. With effort put towards the choice of photographs, a photo printer, or photographs in the needed size, along with a standard inkjet printer, a stapler, adhesive, and a selection of cardstock, you can create a fantastic calendar that will result in family members asking you to create new ones each holiday season.
Begin by choosing between twelve and thirteen pictures for your calendar. One for each month, and either a thirteenth for the cover, or decide on which month's choice will be duplicated. Photo choices could include a variety of subjects, such as different family members, or be focused on one person, such as a grandchild for a doting set of grandparents. For extended family, consider photos from a family reunion, or a shared family vacation. Pets are also good choices for photographs, or even favorite landscapes. One young man I know that is a budding photographer shares his favorite photos from the past year that include everything from nature snapshots to landscapes.
If you absolutely cannot choose only twelve or thirteen snapshots, consider a variety of layouts for each month. You could use a split page on some, so you actually have two or even four photographs on one page, though this works best when the photos are related in some way. One or two pages could also be a random collection of photos. This is a great way to include a wide variety of snapshots when you are going to be passing the finished calendars out to extended members of your family. Everyone will get a kick out of looking through the individual collages to find themselves and loved ones. Feel free to spice up the photographs with borders and text. Try different media output such as black and white, sepia tone, even try hand coloring a few for a more personalized output.
Next, choose a software program to layout your calendar. Most graphic programs or general programs such as Microsoft Works all have calendar options that include personalization with dates and photographs. Pick a program that you are comfortable working in. If you end up spending an enormous amount of time trying to figure out adding text to the calendar squares, for example, you may end up giving up before you ever really get started. Gather your dates that will be included, and double check dates, even those you think you know. The calendar should be a reliable source of information for those who will receive it. Consider traditional dates such as birthdays and anniversaries, along with special dates such as family reunions. Once everything is typed and printed, attach your photographs to the calendar by using a quality adhesive, unless they were printed digitally and directly to the calendars via your printer. If needed, staple calendars on the fold lines to complete the assembly of each.
Given as gifts, these calendars will be both the highlight of your gift giving and of those fortunate to receive them. Be prepared to redo these calendars each year with updated information and brand new photographs.
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