digital photography

There are a lot of cute digital cameras for kids. I had seriously considered getting one for my daughter’s birthday. After looking at several different kids digital cameras and reading some reviews, it seems they all have the same downfall that might be a deal breaker.

My daughter is used to taking photos with our Sony Cybershot point and shoot digital camera. She loves looking at the photos in on the LCD screen, too. The kids digital cameras have tiny LCD screens, so I’m not sure that she will be ‘wowed’ by her own digital camera.

Instead of going the route of a kids digital camera, I think I might look for a durable, regular digital camera. Since it really doesn’t have to be top of the line, I might can find a good deal on a used digital camera. Here’s what I will look for in a digital camera for my three year old:

Large LCD screen
Easy to grip
Big buttons
Easy method for scrolling through pictures
Durable

Those are the big four items that the camera must have. Finding one sturdy enough to handle being dropped numerous times or even immersed in water will be probably the hardest requirement to fullfil.

It was a busy, picture taking weekend as we attended two parties. Saturday we had a birthday party and Sunday we attended a baby shower. Both were fun ofcourse, and I took lots of pictures.

I’m still figuring out my digital camera, so when I know I will be taking lots of snapshots, I leave it on the auto setting. When attending parties, I just like to snap candid shots anyway. Those are usually one take photos anyway since it’s usually catching someone doing something goofy like trying to wear the baby swaddle blanket as a baby sling. Surprisingly people aren’t willing to recreate those slightly embarrassing moments, so you have to be ready to snap the photo.

My sister-in-law who has a nice Canon 40D DSLR also had a second, smaller camera. She has a cute Kodak EasyShare that she used just to snap quick photos. I love my DSLR but miss having a smaller digital camera to carry in my purse. But for just snapping photos to remember the moment, a point and click would serve just as well as a DSLR.

Maybe one day I will have all of these settings down pat and will just leave it on ‘M’ for special events, too.

One easy and fun way to connect with fellow bloggers who love photography is to join a meme. If you’ve been blogging for more than a few days then you probably are already familiar with memes. If not here is a quick definition.

A meme is a collection of posts on different blogs that all have a similar theme. Usually these are done weekly and are usually hosted on the same blog. You post your entry and then comment on the weekly meme. Then take part in the meme by visiting other entries and leave a comment.

There are two photo memes that I really enjoy. There’s Odd Shots Monday that takes place each Monday. Just post an odd or different photo on your blog. It’s simple and fun to see how people interpret this theme each week.

The other photo meme that I try to do at least twice a month is Photo Hunters. Photo Hunters is played on Saturdays, and each week has a theme. The themes are listed on the website, and there is an even a notification service by email to remind you of the upcoming theme. This is another fun one to see how people interpret the theme.

There are many other photo memes like Wordless Wednesday and Macro Monday. I chose the two that I enjoyed the most because of the community of participants and the fun themes.

Taking part in a photo meme is a good way to learn new techniques as well find blogs of interest to you.

The biggest learning curve with using a DSLR is getting just the right setting for the situation. It just takes practice and patience to get the shot you desire.

Shooting with a lighter background could mean a dark subject if you’re not careful.

My setting was OK for the background, but my subjects are silhouettes. I had the camera set to the Tv setting instead of using the Av setting that lets in more light. The camera was automatically setting the Av setting according to the background. To remedy this, I zoomed in to one of the faces, then pressed the lock on the camera. This will set the light reading and not change it. Then I zoomed back out to snap the photo again.

The second photo is much better. You can always use a photo editor to help with washed out photos. The background is looking a little overexposed. But there’s not much can be done with underexposed pictures.

The hummingbirds have been in full buzz mode at my parent’s house. They have a feeder hanging from their back porch that attracts quite a few hummingbirds. Friday evening I decided to try to capture some with my digital camera.

I set my camera to Tv mode allows you to set the shutter speed so objects in motion can appear more in motion rather than still. I still get confused about which way to go with the settings to get the desired effect. I used a slower speed on the above picture. It was the first one I snapped, and I didn’t get another opportunity to take another one as he didn’t return to the feeder. He was too busy running off other hummingbirds.

I had hoped to get more pictures but will try again. The above picture is too dark but really didn’t have a chance to play with more settings. That way if I only get one shot hopefully it will be the one I want. Since hummingbirds are so fast, I will set up my shot first and test it. Then adjust the settings accordingly.

When my husband asked me if I would interested in a canoe trip, my first thought was, “Sure that sounds fun!” My second thought was, “I can’t bring my digital camera!”

I had checked into a waterproof case a few months ago for my DSLR but decided against buying one since it was a little pricey. Also at the time I thought I will never have a use for it. Never say never! Now, I could have bought one of those disposable waterproof cameras but I’m so spoiled to digital photography that film cameras just don’t appeal to me. I would have to get the film developed, and any pictures I would want to use online I would have to scan. So, I didn’t take a camera on our trip. I did see a few things that would have been fun to photograph. Since this was our first time canoeing, we spent most of our time concentrating on staying in the canoe.

But the next trip we will have a little more experience, and I am seriously considering buying a waterproof case for the digital camera. There were just too many photo moments that I missed.

Welcome!

I’m Lynn and I love to take pictures. I have also had an interest in photography but digital cameras have really allowed me to explore it more. Here I will share my tips and hopefully useful information about what I’ve learned about digital photography. Plus I have a few ideas for photo challenges and other fun ideas.

Questions, comments, suggestions are always welcome.